UCU welcomes increase in female professors

Speaking of the statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'As head of an organisation with women in its two most senior positions, I am pleased to see the rest of the higher education sector is slowly starting to catch up. There is no reason why more women should not be in the top jobs in our universities and being properly paid for their work. Fair, open and transparent recruitment and promotion procedures are in everyone's interests, not just women.

'What is equally important for the future is that institutions act to ensure equality of opportunity at every point so that women who are at the start of their academic career will face fewer obstacles in getting to the top.'