UK universities need more female professors, says science minister

The UK’s science minister, Chris Skidmore, has said women are underrepresented at the highest levels of academia and called on universities to appoint more female professors. Writing in The Guardian newspaper on International Women’s Day, Skidmore said improving female representation at universities would lead to a ‘more cohesive, collaborative academic community’. He praised UK universities as ‘world leaders’ in promoting gender equality, but said more needed to be done to address the gender balance among professors and those in senior leadership roles.