Women’s Place in Academia: Case Studies of Italy and Switzerland

Based on the EuroAC survey and additional research, this chapter is an attempt to grasp some of the mechanisms favouring gender (in)equality in the academic profession by comparing women in the Italian and Swiss University academic contexts. After documenting gender imbalance in both countries, the chapter analyses gender-related professional behaviour to grasp the link between women’s representations and women’s professional activities. The comparison suggest that gender inequalities are nested in various contexts that include the characteristics of the HE system, the structure of the academic career and recruitment practices, but also women’s place in society, that weight on both practices and representations.