Men are more likely to receive a PhD “with honours” than women, even when there is no scientific reason for this. That is why the University of Twente decided on Wednesday to discontinue this designation. This makes it the first Dutch university to scrap cum laude for PhD candidates. The new rule will take effect on 1 January, according to the university magazine U Today.
Approximately five per cent of PhDs in the Netherlands are awarded cum laude (with honours). Multiple studies have shown that women receive this distinction less often. This was established by the NRC newspaper in 2018. Later, research by sociologist Thijs Bol confirmed the problem. He also observed that the more men there were on the doctoral committee, the greater the difference. Another study showed that the difference could not be explained by the quality of the thesis.
More problems than gender bias
“It is good that people are thinking about the content and assessment of PhDs,” says Martijn van der Meer, chair of Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (the Dutch PhD Network, eds.) According to him, there are more problems than just gender bias.
“Some PhD candidates have to teach a lot, others don’t,” he says. “Sometimes PhD candidates don’t even have an employment contract. Some get more facilities than others. Such differences can be magnified by making a distinction in the assessment.”
You are awarded a doctorate when a committee of professors and experts is convinced that you are capable of conducting independent scientific research, Van der Meer emphasises. “But that is not the same as saying: this candidate is better than other candidates. The question is whether a committee can make a fair comparison.”
HOP, Bas Belleman
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