ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the situation and experiences of women in early academic careers. The chapter begins with the review of literature, arguing on the different aspects of academic work for junior women and men. It shows evidence that at as early as the recruitment stage, women have fewer opportunities compared to men due to biases in evaluation, gendered recommendation letters, and faculty-student relationships, rather than mentor-mentee as men experience. The review of literature is followed by the presentation of experiences of women in the CEE region. Women in their early careers pointed to the difficult relationship with the supervisor, lack of social capital, putting their lives on hold for the duration of Ph.D., and gender inequalities they notice among early academics. Finally, women shared their methods of how they navigate gendered academia.
