Men still outnumber women by more than three to one when it comes to reaching the rank of professor at the University of Otago, newly-released statistics show.
As at the end of this year there were 65 female professors and 215 male. Women comprising about 23% of all people who reached the position of professor, the highest position in academia.
Academic vice-chancellor Vernon Squire said the disparity was gradually eroding, but it was "not a change that can happen rapidly".
"For example, some academic disciplines are less popular with women, especially at postgraduate level; others, of course, are more popular," Prof Squire said.
A full breakdown of male and female associate professors and professors in each department was expected to be available in the New Year.
The gender gap was closer when it came to associate professors, with 37% female - there are 94 women and 158 men.
That compares to 2012, when only 20.8% of senior academic staff at the University of Otago were female. In 2012, compared with the seven other New Zealand universities, Otago had the lowest percentage of female professors at 13.3%.
University development and equity recruitment manager Denise Lindsay said the university was aware women were under-represented in senior academic roles, but it was not an issue that would be resolved quickly.
Initiatives were in place at the university to address gender disparity, including an equity advisory committee, an equity and diversity policy and an equity and diversity strategic framework, Prof Squire said.
"The university also runs academic promotions workshops for women, and women in leadership programmes."
Gender studies co-ordinator Chris Brickell said going from his studies of other universities, the sciences tended to be the most "professor-heavy" subjects, and tended to attract more men than women.
"I can't really comment for Otago in particular," he said.
Universities had "incredibly robust" employment processes when it came to becoming a professor and it was a self-initiated process.
Associate Prof Brickell thought the disparity in the number of girls interested in the sciences began at school.
After changes were made, there was a 10 or 15-year lag before results were noticed.
"It takes you a while to get there."
At school level, there were some "really interesting" initiatives going on at present to encourage girls to get into typically male-dominated subjects, for instance aviation engineering.