Senior positions at academic, managerial and governance levels in Irish universities continue to be overwhelmingly male-dominated, with Irish men "at least five times more likely than women to obtain a full professorship".

In fact, the differential between men's and women's chances of promotion to professorial level in Ireland is one of the worst in Europe.

The six country international study (which includes Turkey and Portugal) shows that Ireland has

• the lowest proportion of women at professorial and associate professorial level;
• the lowest representation at presidential level (all men);
• joint lowest with Turkey at dean level; 
• roughly three-quarters of those in vice-presidential positions are men;
• only one of the seven Irish universities has a governing authority with the state-recommended 40% balance of women. 

Nor is there any evidence that this male dominance will change in the near future - recent policy documents relating to higher education in Ireland have more or less ignored the gender imbalance at faculty, management and governance levels.

The 'masculinisation' of the education profession at the higher levels of the university system contrasts sharply with the 'feminisation' of the profession at primary and post primary levels.

Public debate suggests that the gender imbalance at primary and post primary is related to the academic under-achievement of boys. The question then arises as to why there is an absence of women from the top jobs in universities. (Source: Irish Independent)