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There was a poem published by Damian Barr in the midst of the pandemic that contained a line that resonated with many:<\/p>\n
We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Our research suggests this is true for academia, too. Over the past six months the De Gruyter insights team has been examining the impact of the pandemic on the research practices of academic authors. We wanted to understand the obstacles they were facing and the pressures they were under, personally and professionally. We found that while everyone at every level of academia has been impacted in some way, some have been impacted more than others. Some are able to weather the COVID storm while others can\u2019t. Some will experience a short-term disruption to their work while others face a long-term impact on their careers.<\/p>\n
Consisting of two surveys, our research took place over May and October 2020 and gathered a total of 4,300 responses from academics in 100+ countries. In our first study, we found that many academics were having to adjust to a \u2018new normal\u2019 with many restrictions to their work. We also found that these problems weren\u2019t experienced equally \u2013 career stage, life stage and gender plays an important role. Sadly, six months on, our research found these problems and inequalities only growing and widening.<\/p>\n
Opportunities decline<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Our latest research exposes a particular set of challenges experienced by those at an early, fragile point of their careers. Academic authors with 1-5 years\u2019 academic experience post-PhD have the most acute concerns around career and professional development. While academics at a later stage might be affected, many are better protected because they\u2019ve had more years to build their track-record. Established reputations, tenured positions, long-standing networks and communities nurtured over decades help a lot. Many less experienced scholars don\u2019t have these advantages and are already being disproportionally affected with job opportunities drying up, reduced budgets, and dwindling grant funding opportunities \u2013 all at a critical point in their career:<\/p>\n
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- 43% say they are now locked out of the international job market.<\/li>\n
- 34% say budget cuts are now \u2018severely hampering\u2019 their work.<\/li>\n
- 30% can no longer find new roles.<\/li>\n
- 30% can\u2019t access new funding opportunities.<\/li>\n
- 31% say their job security is under direct threat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n