Gender and British Postgraduate Funding Policy: a critique of the Winfield Report

Abstract

This research note critically reviews the ESRC‐sponsored Winfield Report on Ph.D. completion rates and the allocation of research studentships. It is argued that the report was insensitive to issues of gender, and failed to consider research relevant to that topic. In consequence, the Winfield Report, and policies implemented on the basis of it, incorporate unexamined assumptions about social science doctorates and the students pursuing higher degrees. The model social science student portrayed is a young, geographically mobile male. Female candidates, especially those of mature age, are likely to be disadvantaged by current policies and their presuppositions.