How to become a sociology professor

In its Bulletin 165, the Swiss Sociological Association presents contributions on how to become a sociology professor [in Switzerland].

Short version: you don’t.

Some other points: the number of positions is declining, expectations in the job adverts are increasingly demanding, around 2% of postdocs are employed as professors 6 years after starting their postdoc, women have higher chances of becoming sociology professors (1.4 times more likely), men publish more (~1.5 times, depending on publications type; women had on average 23 to 44% fewer publications when first hired as professors), the number of articles in SSCI-ranked journals statistically predicts who becomes a professor (for men), so do awards (for women), women tend to drop out during the PhD, men during the postDoc, most drop-outs find decent jobs (some of which actually pay better, many in federal government offices). If you were expecting a manual, see the short version above.

Published 27 December 2024