WOMEN GIVEN LESS CREDIT THAN MEN FOR RESEARCH
Dataset detailing the article attributions of university researchers reveals significant gender gap
Women who work on scientific projects are 13 per cent less likely to be named as authors in research papers, a study carried out by researchers at New York University and Ohio State University has found.
The team used data taken from the UMETRICS project that was compiled by the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science. It contains information on more than 125,000 researchers who worked on almost 10,000 projects between 2013 and 2016. They found that the gender gap was present at every level, but it was particularly evident for researchers in the early stages of their careers. Just 15 per cent of female grad students were attributed as authors of projects they worked on, compared to 21 per cent of male students. The effect was seen across all areas of study.
“There is a clear gap between the rate at which women and men are named as co-authors on publications. The gap is strong, persistent and independent of the research field,” said study co-author Prof Julia Lane, of New York University.
A survey of more than 2,400 researchers carried out alongside the analysis found that 43 per cent of women said they’d been excluded from a paper to which they had contributed, compared with 38 per cent of men.
Many respondents also noted that they felt minorities and foreign-born scientists were at a similar disadvantage.
The findings could inform new policies to increase diversity in science, the researchers say.