Universities Favor Women and Minorities

A recent cohort study of political‑science PhD job outcomes (Desposato) finds that being female or an underrepresented minority materially increased the odds of landing a tenure‑track assistant professorship in 2023, even after controlling for program rank, publications, and field. Simple demographic status appears to have been a stronger predictor of hiring success than many traditional merit signals except an individually authored top‑journal article. — If replicated more widely, this reverses a central assumption about academic bias and will reshape public debates on affirmative action, meritocracy, and the legitimacy of university hiring policies.