Recently, Mare published multiple articles on potential misconduct and gender discrimination in the archaeology faculty, following news of an investigation involving Professor Corine Hofman and her partner, who were accused of misconduct. In one of these articles, an anonymous researcher states that "sexism is so rampant that women still struggle to be recognized in regular conversations," a sentiment echoed by seven former students and (former) faculty members.

Meanwhile, another article features eight female scientists from the same faculty who argue that "there are no Andrew Tate-like misogynistic monsters roaming the corridors of our faculty, only hardworking and passionate academics."

This raises the question: Is there systematic gender discrimination at Leiden University, or are these cases isolated incidents, or perhaps even exaggerations?

In April 2024, the Dutch labour inspection board released the report Arbo in Bedrijf Special: Psychosociale arbeidsbelasting universiteiten. According to the report, 54 percent of the approximately 9,000 respondents stated that they had encountered undesirable behavior in the past two years. This undesirable behavior was categorized as aggression and violence, sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination, and academic-related misconduct (e.g., falsely claiming authorship or failing to honor agreements made for promotion).

All types of undesirable behavior were reported significantly more often by women. This suggests that both undesirable behavior and gender discrimination persist in Dutch universities. However, the report does not provide data for each university individually. Could Leiden University be a positive outlier?

I would argue that this is unlikely. For example, during a meeting about working conditions for staff at my institute, someone mentioned that in some European countries, hiring processes consider whether female candidates have had children. This policy acknowledges the challenges women face in publishing and producing scientific output during these periods. However, one of my colleagues, notably a woman, responded that this was unfair, arguing that personal lifestyle choices should not affect work performance. When another person questioned whether we should continue to support a culture of overwork that forces women to choose between career and family, another colleague replied that perhaps one doesn’t deserve the position if they aren’t willing to work hard enough for it.

While many colleagues present did not agree with these views, this example reveals two significant issues: first, the notion that one must overwork to deserve a position in academia remains prevalent at Leiden University, and second, some female academics might actively uphold this ideal.

But why is this the case?

In my opinion, this is partially due to a work and performance culture that prioritizes securing grants and accumulating authorships to succeed. This culture often requires overwork, prioritizing one's own interests over those of others, and rewards strong and dominant behavior—traits often associated with traditional masculine values. A colleague once noted that, in the past, one had to "behave like a man" to succeed in academia.

She is not the only one who feels this way. A recent study (Academics as Superheroes: Female academics' lack of fit with the masculine stereotype of success limits their career advancement, British Journal of Social Psychology) found that a nationwide survey of all Dutch universities revealed that academics perceive self-confidence, self-focus, and competitiveness as characteristics of the stereotypical successful academic.

Female academics reported the highest sense of dissonance with this stereotype, which was linked to lower work engagement, career efficacy, and career identification, as well as higher stress and intentions to leave their jobs.

If these stereotypes have historically been engraved and continue to shape expectations at Dutch universities, they may have conditioned us to believe that such behavior is necessary to reach the top in academia. So, could this be why some fail to recognize the ongoing gender discrimination in our work environment? And could this also explain why the eight scientists from the Archaeology Faculty do not see the behaviors pointed out as gender discrimination?

While significant progress has been made, and there are increasingly positive examples of gender equality, a major shift in workplace culture and mindset is still needed to achieve true equality for women in academia. This responsibility should be taken seriously by management, professors, and all staff alike.

To achieve this, we should focus on creating an inclusive environment for all employees, one that accommodates people’s private lives and "lifestyle choices," such as balancing an academic career with raising children or caring for a sick parent. And female academics who reached the top during arguably more challenging times should act as role models and facilitators for the younger generation, rather than insisting that they must work just as hard to earn the same positions. In the end this might even lead to better/more scientific output as recent studies have shown that an inclusive work environment fosters creativity and reduces stress.

The author works as a lecturer at Leiden University. Her name is known to the editor.