4 out of 10 Female PhDs Are 'Non-Marriage Types'... "Can't Research if Married" [Reading Science]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Recently, female power has been strengthening across the entire academic field, including science and engineering. First, the number of female PhDs has more than doubled compared to ten years ago. Additionally, efforts from our society are supporting this trend. Institutional improvements are being implemented to eliminate discrimination for gender equality and to enable work-family balance. In particular, there are increasing cases where women are deliberately selected for high-ranking positions to break the "glass ceiling." Minister Lim Hye-sook of the Ministry of Science and ICT is a representative example. Moreover, the number of female scientists in senior positions such as heads of national research institutes is also increasing significantly.

However, there is still a long way to go. The space for female scientists remains narrow. The academic culture where most of the crucial research funding and full-time university faculty positions are dominated by older men continues. As a result, it has been found that women are giving up marriage for their research careers.

The recent report by the National Research Foundation of Korea titled "Changes in Perceptions of Research Environment and Achievements of Female Researchers" clearly reflects this reality. The number of newly graduated female PhDs in Korea increased from 2,981 in 2009 to 5,800 in 2018, nearly doubling. The proportion of women among all new PhDs also rose by about 7.8 percentage points, from 30.1% to 37.9%. However, the path to becoming a university professor (full-time faculty), which is the "dream" of scholars, remains much narrower for women. The proportion of female full-time university faculty increased only slightly from 19% in 2009 to 24.9% in 2020 (with men at 75.1%). Research funding is also concentrated among men. According to another report by the foundation, the "2021 University Research Activity Survey," in 2020, 89.1% of the total university research and development funds went to male faculty, while women received only 10.9%. Per capita research funding was 114.35 million KRW for men, compared to just 40.57 million KRW for women. As of 2020, the per capita research funding gap between male and female professors was 66.75 million KRW, which is larger than the 42.20 million KRW gap in 2009.

Female PhDs who are treated this way are giving up marriage. The proportion of unmarried female PhDs has increased sharply. In surveys conducted in 2009 and 2021, the unmarried rate rose dramatically from 24.2% to 38.9%. Naturally, the proportion of married or previously married women decreased significantly from 75.8% to 61.1%. This seems to be somewhat related to the reality in Korea where the marriage rate has sharply declined since those born in 1984.

Female researchers reported that while discrimination in the research field has improved over the past decade, perceptions regarding marriage have worsened. The proportion of female researchers who experienced discrimination during their degree programs or research decreased. However, many expressed that research achievements decline after marriage, research interruptions, negative impacts on research activities, smoothness of household chore distribution, and full-time job opportunities have "worsened."

The report pointed out, "This indicates that invisible discrimination and the glass ceiling still exist within academia against female researchers," adding, "It can be interpreted that the discrimination felt by female researchers and the level of work-family balance have not improved. It is necessary to improve the treatment and research environment of female researchers and to establish practical policies for work-family balance."