The original purpose of the project was to analyze the impact factors on women’s delayed and / or lack of advancement in academia:

The aim is to investigate and analyze career opportunities (advancement) and distribution (gender ratio) at Swedish universities from 1950 and onwards, with a special focus on periods of expansion in higher education, and to explain why women are advancing more slowly, if at all, relative to men.

The project has partially shifted its focus since results indicated that more emphasis should be placed on the political discourse. The quantitative survey has not been carried out on four cohorts as suggested in the project application, but through a questionnaire aimed at the total population in a given field, the humanities. On aggregated level, a quantitative study based on official statistical data has also been accomplished.

It seems that the issue of gender equality in higher education was addressed with some delay and, according to new research, not least came about through activism from women scientists themselves (Winther Forsbäck, upcoming thesis in June 2017). Perhaps the initial lack of interest influenced the development even long after special investigations and targeted interventions had been launched. Policy makers did not address gender issues during the first major expansion of higher education. This has been dealt with in the article "Perspektiv på begåvningsreserven" [Perspectives on broadening student recruitment in the post-war era] (2014). The study was also presented at the Swedish History Conference in Stockholm in 2014.

The backbone of the project is the quantitative study on higher aggregate level. With a starting point in international research methods and data a major study of doctorates in Sweden through 1960-1990 was conducted. The study, “Persisting patterns” (2016) addresses the critical question if women's share actually increases linearly over time as the narrative goes, or if it rather decreases depending on the perspective. Data and results have been presented at both the Nordic History Conference in Stockholm in 2015, as well as at the American Social History Association Conference in Chicago in 2016. To conclude, the study shows that a gradual and steady increase in women’s share is evident throughout the whole period. However, a so called crowding-effect seems to be in play, at least to some extent, i.e. there is a correlation between the proportionally smallest field by all fields regarding amount of awarded PhD-degrees, and the largest share of women. In this case, women are crowding within the field of the humanities. To note, this pattern is not as clear in Swedish data as in EU data.

Among Swedish PhD’s within the humanities, women accounted for less than 20 percent in the 1960s. A crowding effect is evident during the 1980s on aggregate level; Women represented more than 40 percent of the total. In a study based on statistical educational data 1957-2002 (Chrapkowska 2008) the likelihood for becoming full professor is measured. The probability of a female student to eventually become a full professor is significantly lesser than of male ditto and “[t]he strong enrichment of men within the fields of social sciences and humanities is the most serious problem” (Chrapkowska, p 60 ). Based on this conclusion a questionnaire was sent out to individuals who earned their doctorates within the filed of the humanities at the University of Gothenburg. The survey analyzes decisive factors for career prospects.

During the 1960s not even 30 individuals were awarded their PhDs within the humanities at GU, and out of these only one was a women. However, GU was at that time still a relatively small university. In the 1970s, the number of PhD’s rose. The level of graduated PhD’s within the humanities was consistent to the proportion on aggregate level in 1970 to 1990. The survey included the total population of individuals who earned their doctorates at the Faculty of Arts, GU, between the years 1970-2004. The population contained 600 individuals, and out of these 80 were deceased or emigrated. Hence, then number of informants was 520. The questionnaire (20 pages) comprised four sections: socio-demographic data, time training, graduate education, and career paths. The response rate was 59.9 percent, which for a postal survey is considered relatively high. The survey was not internet-based, since this would have required a less complex battery of questions due to the technical limitations of a web form.

Statistical processing and analysis of the data is ongoing. The first study based on the survey focuses on career patterns. Although education on graduate level aims to supply academia with scholars to ensure high-qualitative teaching and research, those who graduated might have had other goals in life, i.e. a career path outside academia should not be considered a negative choice. Nevertheless, the second study deals specifically with those who have their main activities within the higher education sector. What factors seem to be associated with a scholarly career? It analyzes the specific parameters of social background, life situation and gender. Also, how do experiences of graduate studies and supervisors co-vary with the above? Some of the findings can hopefully be presented at an international conference in Montreal in late November this year.

New research questions have evolved through the quantitative study on the aggregate level, and accordingly the publishing strategy has slightly changed, but this does not deviate significantly from the original plan. Two aspects worthy of further investigation have been identified. First, of course, a comparison regarding the Faculties of Art in general and additionally, also to contrast this to other fields of research. Second, the concept of meritocracy should be studied from a historical perspective, with a presumptive starting point in the late 1950’s when a new teaching position [universitetslektor] was created.

The project Expansion and gender ratio has focused on Swedish conditions, but can as such be well fitted in comparisons with other national contexts. I have recently been invited to participate in a project on EU level. The project group MUGA (Basque for obstacle, barrier) is planning an application entitled "Overcoming the Resistance to the Gender Equality in Research Organizations" directed to the EU research and innovation program Horizon 2020.