Study Finds That Women Are More Likely Than Men to “Stop the Tenure Clock”

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota found that women faculty members take longer to achieve tenure at the university. Men are more likely than women to achieve tenure in the standard six-year cycle. The data showed that 64 percent of male hires in the 2002-to-2004 period achieved tenure in six years compared to 53 percent of women faculty hired in the same period.

The research found that 23 percent of the women hired to the faculty in the 2002-to-2004 period were still on the tenure track seven years later. This was up from 19 percent of women faculty hired in the 1999-to-2001 period.

Women stay on the tenure track longer because they are more likely than men to take advantage of “stop the tenure clock” programs. According to the authors of the study, frequently women will take leave to have a baby or to care for a spouse or parent, while men are reluctant to “stop the clock” for fear of giving the impression that they are not dedicated to their jobs.