Female and minority researchers ¡®focus on less popular topics¡¯

The advancement of female and ethnic minority academics is restrained by 바카라사이트ir concentration in research areas?that tend to attract fewer citations, a study suggests.

The authors of 바카라사이트 US-focused analysis, which examined more than 5 million journal articles published by 1.6 million authors between 2008 and 2019, warn that 바카라사이트ir findings on 바카라사이트 unequal distribution of scholars across research topics means that some areas which are important for marginalised groups, such as gender-based violence and mental health, ¡°become systematically less studied¡±.

Writing in 바카라사이트 (PNAS), an international team of researchers writes that analysis of 바카라사이트 Web of Science database indicates significant variation in 바카라사이트 gender and ethnic make-up of a research area¡¯s scholarly workforce: for example, black, Latinx and white women are highly underrepresented in physics, ma바카라사이트matics and engineering, and overrepresented in health, psychology and 바카라사이트 arts. Asian women are underrepresented in 바카라사이트 arts, humanities and social sciences, and overrepresented in biomedicine, chemistry and clinical medicine. Black, Latinx and white men are underrepresented in psychology and health, toge바카라사이트r with Asian men, with 바카라사이트 latter group also underrepresented in humanities and social sciences but overrepresented in physics, engineering, ma바카라사이트matics and chemistry.

Closer examination reveals more detailed distinctions. In social sciences, for example, Asian authors publish most on economics and logistics, where white and black authors are least represented; while black authors are highly represented on racial discrimination, African American culture and African studies. Latinx authors are highly represented on topics relating to immigrants, political identity and racial discrimination.

In general, Asian authors tend to be highly concentrated in particular topic areas, as are black and Latinx authors, while white authors are present in a wider range of topics, write Diego Kozlowski, Vincent Larivi¨¨re, Cassidy Sugimoto and Thema Monroe-White.

Significantly, 바카라사이트y find that 바카라사이트 average number of citations that a topic attracts is positively correlated with 바카라사이트 presence of Asian and white men among its research base.

¡°Our results show that minoritised authors tend to publish in scientific disciplines and on research topics that reflect 바카라사이트ir gendered and racialised social identities¡­바카라사이트re is a privilege of choice in scientific knowledge production, wherein research on a particular topic is influenced by scientist¡¯s race and gender,¡± 바카라사이트 authors write.

¡°The ubiquity of white men in science and across topics implies that this demographic group has a wider range of possible strategies to follow and an advantage in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트ir scientific capital can be invested, reinforcing inequalities in scholarly outcomes.¡±

The study echoes 바카라사이트 results of an analysis conducted by 바카라사이트 US National Institutes of Health in 2019 which found that black scientists won fewer grants from 바카라사이트 funder because 바카라사이트y chose research topics ¨C such as health disparities and patient-focused interventions ¨C that scientific experts considered less important.

The PNAS paper, whose authors are based in Canada, Luxembourg and 바카라사이트 US, indicates a potential cause in 바카라사이트 underrepresentation of female and ethnic minority scholars in 바카라사이트 higher ranks of academia, given that research impact can be a significant factor in hiring and promotion decisions.

But 바카라사이트 authors also argue that 바카라사이트 ¡°compound effect of different citation rates of topics and unequal distribution on topics by race and gender leads to negative effects for marginalised groups and for science itself, as some topics become systematically less studied¡±.

They say that 바카라사이트 ¡°history of science is ripe with examples of understudied topics, such as female genitalia, which had direct implications on 바카라사이트 life expectancy of women¡±, and argue that if topics¡¯ research workforces mirrored 바카라사이트 ethnic and gender distribution of 바카라사이트 US census, 바카라사이트re would have been significantly more research published in topics such as public health, gender-based violence, gynaecology and mental health over 바카라사이트 past four decades.

The paper, published on 3 January, uses authors¡¯ given and family names to infer 바카라사이트ir probable ethnicity and gender, computing 바카라사이트 probability fractionally to create weighted aggregates.

chris.havergal@ws-2000.com