Postdoctoral women’s academic trajectories and precarity in Chilean universities: challenges for gender equality

This article analyses the academic trajectories of women postdoctoral researchers at Chilean universities, a key and little-explored period for understanding the persistence of gender inequalities in academia. In a context marked by the formal institutionalization of equality policies and, simultaneously, by the deepening of the neoliberal university model, the study asks how job insecurity and the sex/gender order interact in shaping these trajectories. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews with postdoctoral women researchers from different disciplines. Through a narrative-thematic analysis, both the structural conditions of academic work—temporary contracts, productivity demands, and standardization—and the subjective experiences linked to care work, motherhood, and the balance of family and professional life are examined. The results reveal fragmented and non-linear trajectories, marked by job uncertainty, pressure to meet performance metrics, and a lack of institutional support for care. Likewise, practices of symbolic violence and the internalization of meritocratic discourses that contribute to normalizing precariousness are identified. The article concludes that the postdoctoral stage is a critical juncture for the perpetuation of gender inequalities and emphasizes the necessity for university policies that comprehensively address working conditions, academic evaluation criteria, and the recognition of care work.