Equality Monitoring 2020
Here you can find the results from the Equality Monitoring 2020 for the entire ETH Zurich as well as for each department.
Results of the Equality Monitoring 2020
ETH Zürich
Diversity dimension gender
- The figures of the current Equality Monitoring Report 2020 do not show any significant new developments for most areas of the academic career.
- Among students (incl. doctoral students) and academic staff, the proportion of women rose by only a few percentage points in 2020 and remains at a comparatively low level (female students = 32.4%, female doctoral students = 34.3%, female academic staff = 27.1%).
- There was a notable increase of women among professors (assistant professors and those with permanent contracts) in 2020 rising from from 16.3% in 2019 to 18% in 2020.
- The proportion of women in technical-administrative roles changed only minimally compared to 2019 from 42.5% to 43.5%
Diversity dimension age
- The age distribution over the different stages of the academic career from the Bachelor’s level to the assistant professor level is, on average, very similar for women and men (in some cases only 0.2 years age difference).
- Larger age differences can only be observed in permanent professors, where women are on average younger than their male counterparts (50 vs. 52.6 years).
Diversity dimension internationalisation
- In 2020, the level of internationalisation at ETH Zurich continued to be very high. The higher the academic career level, the higher the level of internationalisation.
- The levels of postdoc, senior assistant/scientific staff and assistant professor had the highest proportions of people with foreign educational backgrounds in 2020, amounting to 90.5%, 75.8%, and 77.4%, respectively.
Diversity dimension language
- In 2020, over 40 different native languages were represented at ETH Zurich, with German being the most frequently cited mother tongue at all academic levels. Most people in Bachelor's, Master's or doctoral programmes, as well as those working in administrative or technical roles, have German as their native language.
- Italian is the second most common native language among Bachelor, Master and doctoral students, as well as those working in administrative or technical roles. From the postdoc level on, the second most common native language is English. French and Chinese are the third and fourth most common mother tongues overall.
Generally, there is little data available on other aspects of diversity at ETH Zurich, which is also the case at most other universities. This is mainly because statistics on many diversity metrics are not regularly collected due to the often private and sensitive nature of the information.
Appointment procedure and new appointments
Gender Ratio at Different Stages of the Appointment Procedure, Averaged over the Period 2010 - 2020
Appointments of Professors and Assistant Professors (incl. SNF / ERC / TT) 2006 - 2020
Appointments of Assistant Professors, Tenure Track and Non-Tenure Track 2010 - 2020
*Explanations
BSc = Bachelor's students
MSc = Master's students
Doc = doctoral candidates
Postdoc = postdoctoral candidates and research associates II
SSA = senior assistants and scientific assistants (fixed-term)
SS = senior scientists and leading scientists (permanent contracts)
AssP = assistant professors
FP = full and associate professors (permanent contracts)
S/A = (Executive Board) staff units and administrative departments
TT = tenure track
SNF = Swiss National Science Foundation
ERC = European Research Council
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Remarks
- Inclusion of extradepartmental units and staff units: In the Equality Monitoring Report 2020 staff unit, extradepartmental units, and other exceptions are excluded in each graphic where only academic staff and/or students are portrayed. In graphics showing technical and administrative staff and apprentices, staff units and extradepartmental units are included. In the two graphs on technical and administrative staff and apprentices in the diversity dimension gender, the exceptions are also included. In the graphs on the diversity dimensions age, internationalization and language, both technical and administrative staff as well as apprentices are listed and so are students and scientific staff. Therefore, only the exceptions are excluded in these graphs, while the extradepartmental units and the staff units are counted. This type of reporting results, for example, in a share of Swiss professors with permanent position (FP) of 35.6% in the graph "Professorships by Nationality and Gender 2020". In the graph "ETH Zurich Community by Nationalities in 2020", on the other hand, 35.9% of professors with permanent position are depicted to be Swiss. The reason for this is the inclusion of permanent professors in the staff units and extradepartmental units in the latter graph.
- Full-time equivalents (FTE) and individuals (HC): From postdoc level onwards, the figures refer to full-time equivalents (FTE = Full-Time Equivalents). Below that academic level they refer to individuals (HC = head count). One full-time equivalent corresponds to a full-time position at ETH Zurich, based on a working week of 41 hours. Doctoral students are not included in the figures for the mid-level faculty. They are shown separately.
- Definition «Leaky Pipeline»: The observation that the proportion of women on the academic career ladder declines after graduation is known as the "leaky pipeline". ETH Zurich has recognised this phenomenon and, among other things, has been offering the career programme "Fix-the-leaky-pipeline" for young female scientists together with the other institutions of the ETH Zurich Domain since 2007.
- Definition Swiss Entry Qualification vs. Foreign Entry Qualification: Students with foreign entry qualifications are students with a foreign educational background who were not resident in Switzerland before starting their studies. Students with Swiss entry qualification are students with either Swiss nationality or foreign students who were resident in Switzerland when they acquired their university admission. From postdoc level onwards, nationality rather than educational origin is specified.
- Definition Glass Ceiling Index (GCI): The Glass Ceiling Index (GCI) compares (divides) the proportion of women at all levels from post-doctoral research to full professorship (associate and full professorship) with the proportion of women at the level of full professorship. A value greater than 1 means that women are underrepresented at the level of full professorship compared with their presence in academic positions in general (from postdoctoral research upward). The higher the GCI value above 1, the stronger the glass ceiling effect. This term is used to describe the effect of structural barriers that make it difficult for women to access higher positions in academia, resulting in their under-representation at the top level of full professorship.
- Definition Gender Parity Index (GPI): The Gender Parity Index (GPI) indicates the relative position of the various ETH Zurich departments with regard to the proportion of women in the following five levels:
- The proportion of female students I1
- The proportion of female doctoral candidates I2
- The proportion of female scientific staff I3
- Proportion of female professors (full and assistant professors) I4
- Proportion of female administrative and technical staff I5
Departement Reports
*Explanations
BSc = Bachelor's students
MSc = Master's students
Doc = doctoral candidates
Postdoc = postdoctoral candidates and research associates II
SSA = senior assistants and scientific assistants (fixed-term)
SS = senior scientists and leading scientists (permanent contracts)
AssP = assistant professors
FP = full and associate professors (permanent contracts)
S/A = (Executive Board) staff units and administrative departments
TT = tenure track
SNF = Swiss National Science Foundation
ERC = European Research Council
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Remarks
- Full-time equivalents (FTE) and individuals (HC): From postdoc level onwards, the figures refer to full-time equivalents (FTE = Full-Time Equivalents). Below that academic level they refer to individuals (HC = head count). One full-time equivalent corresponds to a full-time position at ETH Zurich, based on a working week of 41 hours. Doctoral students are not included in the figures for the mid-level faculty. They are shown separately.
- Definition «Leaky Pipeline»: The observation that the proportion of women on the academic career ladder declines after graduation is known as the "leaky pipeline". ETH Zurich has recognised this phenomenon and, among other things, has been offering the career programme "Fix-the-leaky-pipeline" for young female scientists together with the other institutions of the ETH Zurich Domain since 2007.
- Definition Swiss Entry Qualification vs. Foreign Entry Qualification: Students with foreign entry qualifications are students with a foreign educational background who were not resident in Switzerland before starting their studies. Students with Swiss entry qualification are students with either Swiss nationality or foreign students who were resident in Switzerland when they acquired their university admission. From postdoc level onwards, nationality rather than educational origin is specified.
- Definition Glass Ceiling Index (GCI): The Glass Ceiling Index (GCI) compares (divides) the proportion of women at all levels from post-doctoral research to full professorship (associate and full professorship) with the proportion of women at the level of full professorship. A value greater than 1 means that women are underrepresented at the level of full professorship compared with their presence in academic positions in general (from postdoctoral research upward). The higher the GCI value above 1, the stronger the glass ceiling effect. This term is used to describe the effect of structural barriers that make it difficult for women to access higher positions in academia, resulting in their under-representation at the top level of full professorship.
- Definition Gender Parity Index (GPI): The Gender Parity Index (GPI) indicates the relative position of the various ETH Zurich departments with regard to the proportion of women in the following five levels:
- The proportion of female students I1
- The proportion of female doctoral candidates I2
- The proportion of female scientific staff I3
- Proportion of female professors (full and assistant professors) I4
- Proportion of female administrative and technical staff I5
