What happens when you bring together 50 female researchers from 12 African countries, the USA, the UK and Denmark to address the underrepresentation of women in academia and research? A lot, we are happy to report.
Globally, women make up less than 30% of the research community. In Africa’s top 97 universities, women hold just 21% of chancellor positions, 14% of vice-chancellor roles, and 26% of registrar positions. Europe faces similar challenges—only 35% of researchers, 24% of professors and 28% of university leaders in Denmark are women. This presents a significant challenge, as this means that the topics for research, the research methodologies and the research findings fail to equally represent the populations and contexts in which they are applied.
In response to these disparities, a More Women in Research seminar took place in Arusha, Tanzania, from 4-8 March 2024. During this meeting, the participating researchers drafted a manifesto outlining key actions for eight stakeholder groups—including universities, governments, funders, and others—to promote gender balance in research and challenge the status quo.
The manifesto was further refined during an online dialogue on 3 November where over 270 women, primarily from Africa, contributed their insights. It was then officially launched at the YouLead Africa Summit 2024 where 300 young leaders from across Africa gathered to discuss the future of education. The Uganda high court judge and professor, the Honorable Justice Lillian Timbatiwwa, who wrote the foreword to the manifesto, was the guest of honour, demonstrating the heights that women can reach in academia.
During the summit, participants highlighted the need for intergenerational dialogue, coaching and mentorship, essential tools for supporting women in academia. A mentorship clinic was piloted, offering career guidance and peer support.
Since then, the women researchers have launched various initiatives in their own contexts, for example,
More initiatives are planned for 2025, including a More Women in Research seminar in Asia (April) and a workshop at E-Learning Africa (June) focused on inputs on how to organise online woman-to-woman mentorship opportunities.
From concept to execution, these activities have been organised in partnership with Action Aid Denmark’s Training Center for Development Cooperation (MS TCDC) and driven by the dedication of women researchers who recognise that increasing women’s representation in academia is key to making higher education and research more inclusive and reflective of society’s needs.
More about
The More Women in Research manifesto
When 50 women researchers first met
When 270 women researchers provided input to the manifesto
When the manifesto was launched together with 300 youth leaders across Africa
Playlist: The More Women in Research on YouTube
