Women scientists produce higher quality work, but men produce more early in their careers, new study reveals
Media Release, Tuesday 9 January 2007
An international study led by the University of Melbourne reveals that, while female scientists produce better quality science, they are less productive early in their careers, and thus have to play catch-up to their male counterparts.
The study, conducted by Dr Matthew Symonds from the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne with colleagues from Australia and New Zealand followed 168 biologists from British and Australian universities, all of whose careers began in the early 1990s.
Results showed that the men in the study published 40 percent more papers than women, but that women’s work is cited relatively more often by other scientists, a key indicator of quality.
The study also revealed that the differences in male and female productivity arise surprisingly early in their careers.
”Why men publish more papers than women, known as the “Productivity Puzzle” has long been debated, “said Dr Symonds.
“There is not one obvious explanatory factor, but we now have a better idea of when key problems for women arise,” he said.
Dr Symonds said that a slow start to the women scientists’ careers directly affects their subsequent success in job appointments, promotions and funding.
“In Australia, we can see this scenario reflected in the continual higher success rate of men over women in obtaining Australian Research Council grants.”
Dr Symonds said that women are discriminated against by current systems for measuring research performance, which are heavily based on quantity of output.
“Even though women have their work cited relatively more frequently, their lower overall productivity means that this difference in quality of research is often overlooked.”
“We propose a better system that is fairer to women. This does not mean one that is less stringent, but one that truly reflects the real quality of output, not just number of publications.”
“A shift in focus from overall quantity of output to relative impact of the science would help level the playing field for women.”
Recommendations of the study also include that mentoring for women, which is typically provided later in women scientists’ careers, be conducted earlier.
“The first couple of years are a crucial time in women scientists’ careers when they need to avoid falling behind their male colleagues,” Dr Symonds said.
The study was published in December 2006 in the international online journal PLoS ONE.
MEDIA CONTACT
Dr Matthew Symonds
Department of Zoology
University of Melbourne
Phone: 03 8344 4845
Mobile: 0425 889 711
Professor Mark Elgar
Department of Zoology
University of Melbourne
Phone: 03 8344 4338
Mobile: 0417 545 889
Rebecca Scott
Media Officer
University of Melbourne
Phone: 03 8344 0181
Mobile: 0417 164 791
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