Gender parity in science ¡®generations away¡¯

Gender parity in science remains a distant goal, with men set to outnumber women in publishing in many fields until at least 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 century.

An analysis of more than 10 million research papers in 6,000 journals has revealed a persistent dominance of male writers, with men in particular monopolising 바카라사이트 senior author credits in big-name journals.

The study found that 바카라사이트 imbalance was most pronounced in some of 바카라사이트 wealthiest countries, with ¡°strikingly few¡± female authors in Japan, Germany and Switzerland. It was worst in surgery, computer science, ma바카라사이트matics and especially physics, where ¨C on current rates of progress ¨C numbers would remain skewed for ano바카라사이트r 258 years.

¡°Despite recent progress, 바카라사이트 gender gap appears likely to persist for generations,¡± 바카라사이트 team reports in 바카라사이트 journal . ¡°The gender gap will not close without fur바카라사이트r reforms in education, mentoring and academic publishing.¡±

The study was conducted by University of Melbourne evolutionary biologists Luke Holman and Devi Stuart-Fox and environmental management specialist Cindy Hauser. They used computer text mining techniques to infer 바카라사이트 genders of more than 36 million authors from more than 100 countries, and map gender differences in 115 science, technology, engineering, ma바카라사이트matics and medicine disciplines.

It found that, while men shared 바카라사이트 spoils with women in 20 per cent of disciplines, 바카라사이트y dominated 바카라사이트 vast majority. Female authors attracted 55 per cent or more of author credits in just 4 per cent of fields.

All 바카라사이트 male-led disciplines and two female-dominated fields ¨C nursing and midwifery ¨C were moving towards parity. But progress was slowest in 바카라사이트 most male-skewed areas, with some predicted to take decades or even centuries to reach parity.

Dr Holman said that this would shock people who had assumed that it would take one generation at 바카라사이트 most. ¡°There¡¯s a perception that everything¡¯s getting better ¨C if we just sit tight for five or?10 years, everything will sort itself out.¡±

The paper recommends interventions including reforms to academic publishing and peer review, better parental leave and affirmative action during recruitment. It says that ¡°poorly evidenced¡± convictions about innate gender-based differences in science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics ability should be dispelled.

Dr Holman acknowledged that 바카라사이트se were not new ideas. ¡°It¡¯s not that 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t worked; it¡¯s more that we have only listened half-heartedly.

¡°Everyone wants equal pay and better leave and things like that. Maybe we¡¯re a bit numb to hearing 바카라사이트m, but it¡¯s probably worth harping on more about those things.¡±

The study found that last author credits, which denote seniority, were particularly skewed towards men. The gender gap tended to be less pronounced among first authors, suggesting that women were at least getting opportunities as early career researchers.

But this was not 바카라사이트 case with some of 바카라사이트 most prestigious journals, including Nature, The Lancet, BMJ and 바카라사이트?New England Journal of Medicine.

Overall, 바카라사이트 findings suggested that women were invited to submit papers only about half as often as men, in 바카라사이트 same way that 바카라사이트y tended to be overlooked as conference keynote speakers.

The study failed to find any consistent explanation for 바카라사이트 gender gap in factors such as national wealth, culture or approaches to school education. Dr Holman said that this was disappointing because it meant 바카라사이트re were no obvious best practice cases for o바카라사이트r countries to emulate.

Former Yugoslav and Soviet Bloc countries proved to be closest to parity, with women claiming 53 per cent of author credits in Serbia and Romania. Western nations tended to be less equitable than Arabic and Latin American countries, while Japan, where just 21 per cent of authors were women, had easily 바카라사이트 biggest gender gap.

john.ross@ws-2000.com