While some 40 per cent of the students undertaking political science degrees in the UK are
women, about three-quarters of those teaching them are men. This article examines why
female undergraduates are less likely to go into graduate work in politics, utilising focus
groups conducted with groups of male and female students and interviews with the female
students in four large UK universities. The research identifies eight key factors that impacted
upon our respondents' decisions to undertake further study. The first four affected both men …