Women are underrepresented men on higher positions (senior lecturer, professor) in European academia, but gender difference varies according to discipline and academic level (European Commission 2015).  The debate on gender equality in higher education has focused on the search for a point where women drop out (i.e leaky pipeline, black hole). This study takes the starting point in previous research which shows that such a point does not exist but rather involves various mechanisms that play a role in transitions and may differ between different disciplines (Silander 2010, Silander, Haake & Lindberg 2013).

The purpose of the study is to examine the result of research on Nordic women's and men's academic career over the phases from doctoral graduation to full professor. We complete a systematic review of research on gender equality in higher education and women's and men's career in academia based on three  aspects: 1) Nature of research what kind of studies are conducted in the Nordic countries in the field of gender differences in academic careers? Which disciplines are investigated, which theories are present and which methods are used? To what extent is it possible to draw generalized conclusions in this field? 2) Result of research what are the major results of Nordic studies into gender differences in academic careers?  Do the results show a homogenous picture of the issue of equality in academic career paths?  3) Explanation of gender difference; which mechanisms are singled out as explanations for the present state of gender differences in academic careers?

European Commission (2016). SHE figures 2015. European Commission. Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Brussels. Riis, U. (2012). Is the Bar Quivering? What can we learn about academic career requirements from the 1999 promotion reform? Pedagogisk Forskning i Uppsala, no 161. Uppsala University. Silander, C. (2010). Pyramider och pipelines: om högskolesystemets påverkan på jämställdhet i högskolan [Pyramids and pipelines: The system of Higher Education and its effect on gender equality]. Linnaeus University Press. Växjö. Silander, C. Haake, U. and Lindberg, L. (2013). The different worlds of academia: a horizontal analysis of gender equality in Swedish higher education. Higher Education 66:2.