Narrative of Women,s Experiences in Promotion to Professorship at Universities of Iran

In many countries of the world, women›s achievement in entering the universities and joining the scientific community has reached up to 50% of the faculty members and almost 20-30% of the full professorship›s rank. In Iran, based on existing data, women constitute 15.8 percent of the full time faculty members with Ph.D. at the universities associated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, of which only 3.8 percent have attained the rank of full professors and only 5.8 percent of total full professors of the country. A share which is much less than those of male faculty members and women in other countries.
The present article›s objective is to provide some knowledge on the reasons for such a small share of female professors in comparison to male professors and understanding of facilitating factors as well as obstacles to their progress towards highest scientific rank at the universities. Research method is qualitative- phenomenology and aims at reporting experiences of women who have achieved the rank and those who have not been able to do so.
Findings: The narrations of the experiences showed the importance of educational activities for female faculty members in contrast to higher importance of research and international cooperation in promotion regulations of the ministry. In addition, factors such as, difficulties in receiving research funds due to cultural factors, women›s absence in informal networks among male faculty members and promotion commissions and finally women›s caring responsibilities in the family, have impacted the share of women among full professors.
Although cultural reforms is not the sole responsibility of the universities, but legal and moral duties of scientific institutions for any reforms at the academic sphere and regulations should not be ignored. It seems the most suitable and easiest way to achieve the goal of female faculty members› promotion to a professorship, is changing the present regulations rather than expecting women to adjust themselves to existing rules; which have been historically developed based on their male counterparts› needs and perspectives.