Past studies have shown that fewer women in economics are securing tenure-track jobs and publishing research, compared to men. New research by Princeton University aimed to find out if the use of workshops and other endeavors could have a beneficial impact on this issue.
According to a new study, conducted along with a team at the American Economic Association (AEA), annual workshops organized for female economists by the Association could be substantially beneficial for women in academia, including achieving tenure in some of the top ranked institutions in the U.S.
In their study, Princeton researchers uncovered that just two days of intervention led to more women publishing papers and retaining their role in academia.
Those findings were established after evaluating a group of participants who attended the national CeMENT workshops, which mentors female faculty in tenure-track positions in the U.S. Female economists in high-level positions volunteer to mentor on the achieving of success in academia.
The group of participants who participated in the workshop were compared to a control group that did not attend. The study tracked the participants for a span of four to 14 years after their participation at the workshop.
Overall, the workshops increased professional relationships, thus improving opportunities for job placements and academic publishing, the study found.
“Our results speak to the importance of having mentors and peer networks, and suggest that women in economics often face difficulties in developing these relationships,” the findings determined.
“We hope these results will inspire others to step forward with additional ways of tackling this persistent problem.”
