The presence and career of women in academic Geography. Study of the peculiarities of the Spanish case

During the 80s academic geography in Spain held a privileged position in comparison to the situation in other countries where female representation was lower. There was a later institutionalization which coincided with a greater female presence in universities, together with less consolidated power structures that permitted a greater female access, even if their presence continued to be in a minority and in lower positions than their male counterparts. However, in recent years a growth in male presence has been observed in our discipline. The aim of this article is to provide explanations for this tendency. Thus, the results are analysed from in-depth interviews with a group of female geographers -and some male geographers-especially focusing on the strategies of work and life balance, and the gender differences with respect to promotion and power.