Download
Abstract
We study how the promotion of a female Associate Professor affects future hiring and PhD cohorts. Exploiting a natural experiment in Spain from 2003 to 2007, we use random variation in promotion outcomes. We find that promoting a woman increases the number of female PhD graduates and their retention and success in academia, but has limited effects on female faculty hiring. Promoting a researcher in fields aligned to women’s research interests, regardless of gender, is equally effective in attracting female faculty. This suggests that targeting research orientation may be an alternative to gender-based hiring policies, with potentially lower search costs.