The ‘Leaky Pipeline’ in the Sciences
Every year, we welcome around 300–400 first-year students to the Biology Campus, of whom a good two-thirds identify as female. At the other end of the academic career ladder – amongst professors – the picture is different: At present (as of 2026), 36 professorial posts in the Faculty of Biology are held by men, whilst only 9 are held by women. The phenomenon of the gender balance shifting in favour of men as one progresses through the academic career is widespread across all scientific disciplines [1,2] and is known as the ‘leaky pipeline’. The term is intended to imply that a great deal of talent and potential is lost due to our current, unequal academic system. The higher the pay grade, the more difficult it is usually for women to attain the desired position.
At LMU, and also at our faculty, efforts have therefore been underway for some time to address the ‘leaky pipeline’ and ensure fair treatment, for example in interviews and appointment procedures. Unfortunately, this has led to only a slight improvement across LMU as a whole; and in our faculty, there has even been a step backwards in terms of new appointments in recent years.
We in the student council are convinced that the problem has many causes and just as many solutions. One of the causes, however, is undoubtedly the structural disadvantage faced by women and FLINTA* people (i.e. women, including all people who are marginalised on the basis of their gender identity [3]; in this text, this is denoted by the term ‘women*’ with an asterisk) in our patriarchal society. We therefore advocate for special support for women* right from the start of their studies; such support may, for example, take the form of measures to redress structural inequalities.
Pilot project: women’s* tutorials at the Faculty of Biology
Following a joint initiative by the student council and the faculty’s women’s representative, women* tutorials are to be offered for the first time on the Bachelor’s programme in Biology from this winter semester (WS26/27) onwards. The idea is based on the observation that men take up a disproportionately large share of the speaking time in small-group tutorials, even though women* usually make up the majority1 [4, 5]. Furthermore, tutors are often predominantly male, although this can vary from module to module. Both factors presumably contribute to or amplify an existing imbalance between perceived and actual competence between the genders – a situation which, amongst other things, can have a significant impact on career choices.
The women’s* tutorials are designed to counteract this by providing a safe space for women*, where the barrier to active participation is lowered and participants can gain confidence in their academic abilities. Accordingly, the tutorials should ideally be led by a woman* and be open only to women*.
In the 2026/27 winter semester, the women’s* tutorials are planned as a optional extra in the Molecular Biology (1st semester) and Computer Science (3rd semester) courses. Students may choose, on a voluntary basis, between the standard tutorials and (if they are a woman*) the one or two women’s* tutorials on offer.
Long-term aim of the project
The pilot project in the winter semester 26/27 is intended to test the concept of women-only tutorials, collect participation statistics and gather feedback from the students themselves. Should the concept be well received, the aim in subsequent semesters could be to offer women* tutorials in other courses within the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, as well as to extend the scope beyond the faculty. Ultimately, the women* tutorials are intended as a contribution to a gender-equal society and are designed to stimulate change in existing structures that are no longer up to date.
1It is important to us to stress that in our view, this is not the direct fault of the men at the faculty, and that they are not acting with malicious intent; rather this is another example of societal patterns in upbringing, early education and socialization.
[2] https://www.gwk-bonn.de/fileadmin/Redaktion/Dokumente/Papers/Heft94_Gleichstellungsmonitor2025.pdf
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLINTA
[4] Karpowitz, Christopher F., Tali Mendelberg, and Lee Shaker. "Gender inequality in deliberative participation." American Political Science Review 106.3 (2012): 533-547.
[5] Carter, Alecia J., et al. "Women’s visibility in academic seminars: Women ask fewer questions than men." PloS one 13.9 (2018): e0202743.