Hostility Toward Women Leaders in Academia: Governance Failures and Paths Forward
ORAL · Invited
Abstract
Conflicts, bullying, and mobbing can emerge between many parties in academia. As universities diversify from a historically narrow baseline, the risk of such conflicts increases—especially for women and international scholars. Yet most academic governance structures remain ill-equipped to handle these complex situations. They lack the training, procedures, and independent oversight needed to ensure fair processes, resist informal power dynamics, and prevent conflicts from escalating into institutional failures.
This talk examines how these deficiencies manifest in practice, drawing on recent cases at ETH Zurich, EPFL, the Max Planck Society, and the widely discussed handling of my former colleague Prof. Marcella Carollo. These incidents reveal deeper structural problems: decision-making concentrated in small informal networks, inconsistent procedures, and a persistent vulnerability to bias when women hold leadership roles. Such failures waste public resources, damage careers, and undermine the credibility of our institutions.
History shows that change is possible. In the 1990s, senior women at MIT—supported by strong and courageous male leadership—exposed systemic bias and catalyzed reforms that transformed the institution. Inspired by that model, I founded the Women Professors Forum at ETH Zurich. But without sustained engagement from male leaders, its impact remains limited. Power still resides predominantly with men, and meaningful reform will not occur unless they actively participate.
This talk calls for structural changes that strengthen excellence, independence, transparency, and accountability in academic governance. We must build mechanisms that can manage conflict competently, treat all parties fairly, and support an inclusive environment where newcomers—women, men, and international scholars—can thrive. The success and integrity of our institutions depend on how effectively we integrate those who are not yet part of the dominant in-group. It is time to act.
This talk examines how these deficiencies manifest in practice, drawing on recent cases at ETH Zurich, EPFL, the Max Planck Society, and the widely discussed handling of my former colleague Prof. Marcella Carollo. These incidents reveal deeper structural problems: decision-making concentrated in small informal networks, inconsistent procedures, and a persistent vulnerability to bias when women hold leadership roles. Such failures waste public resources, damage careers, and undermine the credibility of our institutions.
History shows that change is possible. In the 1990s, senior women at MIT—supported by strong and courageous male leadership—exposed systemic bias and catalyzed reforms that transformed the institution. Inspired by that model, I founded the Women Professors Forum at ETH Zurich. But without sustained engagement from male leaders, its impact remains limited. Power still resides predominantly with men, and meaningful reform will not occur unless they actively participate.
This talk calls for structural changes that strengthen excellence, independence, transparency, and accountability in academic governance. We must build mechanisms that can manage conflict competently, treat all parties fairly, and support an inclusive environment where newcomers—women, men, and international scholars—can thrive. The success and integrity of our institutions depend on how effectively we integrate those who are not yet part of the dominant in-group. It is time to act.
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Presenters
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Ursula Keller
- ETH Zurich