Abstract
Women held only 15.5 percent of positions at the rank of lecturer or above in the Psychology Departments of Australian universities between 1975 and 1977, and they were particularly underrepresented at senior levels of appointment. Different criteria may have been employed in the recruitment of men and women academics, since a woman was more likely to hold a PhD degree than a man in the same department and at the same level of appointment. However, publication and citation rates were similar for matched men and women. The underrepresentation of women in university positions is discussed in the context of factors that differentially control role attainment and career development by men and women.