This study (
PNAS) surveyed 127 professors of biology, chemistry and physics, asking them to evaluate resumes of potential lab managers. Half the pool received a particular resume with a male name and the other half with a female name -- the applications were otherwise identical. There was a significant preference for male applicants over female applicants, and, strikingly, this preference was independent of the gender of the evaluator (professor).
Click for larger figure.
I've always felt that gender plays a big role in academic careers. Men in my field are much more likely to bluff, win arguments by intimidation, oversell results, etc. Usually if a woman says she understands a result or calculation, she really does.
See also
Women in the Classroom.
