We provide an integrative review of research on gender and academic careers conducted in the Nordic countries from 2003-2018. We investigate the nature and content of contemporary Nordic research and critically examine the methodological and theoretical approaches authors have used. We read, categorised, and analysed 74 articles retrieved from Web of Science. Our review shows that gender differences in academic careers persist, in line with earlier reviews. Also the early years seem crucial to the development of an academic research career. Studies focusing on gendered career trajectories and publication patterns together with studies on the influence of new public management on gender are the three main areas of research interest. Existing research lacks (1) a focus on the horizontal dimension (i.e. across disciplines), (2) studies developing concepts and theory and (3) studies focusing on the consequences of changes in the research policy framework for higher education.