Portuguese Women in Science and Technology (S&T): Some Gender Features Behind MSc. and PhD. Achievement

opportunities and bad work conditions dominate, as in GOV departments
and HE institutions.

Institutional data also reveals the large differences existing between
women’ and men’ post-graduation opportunities, even in scientific fields
where women are equally or even overrepresented in graduation.
Therefore, aiming at a Master or a Doctorate in order to overcome labour
instability, comply with employment and career requirements or even
improve one’s further skills and knowledge - this latter issue appearing to
be most meaningful for female Portuguese scientists according to our
survey - becomes more difficult for women than for men and more time
consuming.

As the existing institutional data precludes dynamic analyses, in this
research we rely on results obtained throughout a specially addressed
survey which allows for longitudinal data on about one hundred and half
MSc. and PhD. trajectories, obtained in four Portuguese universities.

In the light of the latter and according to Contingency Analysis we
have developed we observed that indeed more 12% women than men had
to take three or more years to achieve a Master. As to PhD. and despite
both women and men being mostly complied by career reasons when
undergoing this degree, most women than men appointed curriculum
organisation and time scheduling as some of the main obstacles, while
only women referred lack of support by the family to undergo the degree.
Also, whenever most men (cc. 80%) considered themselves as “much
satisfied” with post-doctoral situation in academic career only less than one
third of the surveyed women expressed likewise, a result which confirms
other authors’ outcomes.

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