scholarly journals First-mover Advantage Explains Gender Disparities in Physics Citations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunsik Kong ◽  
Samuel Martin-Gutierrez ◽  
Fariba Karimi
Keyword(s):  
Citation Network ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
First Mover Advantage ◽  
Measure Of Similarity ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
First Mover

Abstract Mounting evidence suggests that publications and citations of scholars in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) suffer from gender biases. In this paper, we study the physics community, a core STEM field in which women are still largely under-represented and where these gender disparities persist. To reveal such inequalities, we compare the citations received by papers led by men and women that cover the same topics in a comparable way. To do that, we devise a robust statistical measure of similarity between publications that enables us to detect pairs of similar papers. Our findings indicate that although papers written by women tend to have lower visibility in the citation network, pairs of similar papers written by men and women receive comparable attention when corrected for the time of publication. These analyses suggest that gender disparity is closely related to the first-mover and cumulative advantage that men have in physics and is not an intentional act of discrimination towards women.

Will We Ever Close the Gender Gap Among Top Mathematics Achievers? Analysis of Recent Trends by Race in Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

2021 ◽  
pp. 016235322110445
Author(s):  
A. Kadir Bahar
Keyword(s):  
Advanced Placement ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Ap Calculus ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Underrepresentation Of Women ◽  
And Mathematics

Analyzing the test scores of more than 10,000,000 students who participated in the Advanced Placement (AP) math exams from 1997 to 2019, this study examined the direction and magnitude of the trend in gender disparity by race in participation in and top achievement on AP Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Statistics exams. The results of this study indicated that, in general, females’ representation in all three AP exams increased significantly. Although the findings indicated that the female-to-male ratios (FMRs) in participation in the AP math exams increased significantly from 1997 to 2019 and favored females for all races, the gender disparities among top achievers for all math exams are still substantial. The relationships between the FMRs in participation and top achievement for all AP math exams were also analyzed within races, and the possible impacts of these findings within the context of the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields were also discussed.

Trends in Gender Disparities Among High-Achieving Students in Mathematics: An Analysis of the American Mathematics Competition (AMC)

2020 ◽  
pp. 001698622096045
Author(s):  
A. Kadir Bahar
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Female Ratio ◽  
High Achieving Students ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Underrepresentation Of Women ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Male To Female

Using the test scores of more than 2,250,000 students who participated in the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) from 2009 to 2019, this study examined the direction and magnitude of the trends in gender disparity in participation and high achievement in self-select mathematics exams. The results of this study indicated that the male to female ratio among the AMC participants increased significantly from 2009 to 2019. The findings also showed an established disparity that favored males for each year and for all competitions in both the top 1% and 5% levels, while the trend in the male to female ratios over a decade was stable, except for the top 1% of the population in the AMC 8, in which there was a significant increasing trend that favored males. The possible impacts of these findings within the context of the underrepresentation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields are discussed.

scholarly journals Biological versus Feminists Perspectives on Girls' Underperformance in STEM Subjects in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Raza Ullah ◽  
Hazir Ullah ◽  
Muhammad Bilal
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Biological Factors ◽  
Ongoing Debate ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Education Performance

This article outlines the biological essentialists’ versus feminists’ explanations of girls’ underperformance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Historically, except in the contexts of some developed countries, boys dominated girls in STEM subjects. Biological essentialists associate girls’ underperformance in STEM with the innate differences between men and women, whereas feminists attribute it to social factors. The issue, however, is not so easily solved and there is an ongoing debate between biological essentialists and feminists. This article, thus, engages in a comparative analysis of the two approaches, their underlying principles and the empirical evidences they use to substantiate their stance. The analysis of both approaches enables the authors to better decipher the connection between gender and education performance. This article explains that social rather than biological factors influence girls’ performance in STEM subjects. The article concludes that girls’ underperformance in STEM subjects' results from sociocultural factors.

scholarly journals Exploring the Odds: Gender Differences in Departing the Engineering Profession

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-461
Author(s):  
Nadya A. Fouad ◽  
Michael B. Kozlowski ◽  
Romila Singh ◽  
Nina G. Linneman ◽  
Samantha S. Schams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Engineering Profession ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
The Past ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Theory Of Work Adjustment ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Categorical Response ◽  
Scholarly Inquiry

Women’s departure or nonentrance into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professions, particularly engineering, has been a lively source of scholarly inquiry for the past three decades. Much of the literature in this area has been with solely female samples of participants, begging the question as to whether or not men and women either choose to leave the profession or not enter for the same or similar reasons. This present study collected a large sample of men ( n = 1,273) who had either left or never entered the engineering profession and compared their responses to a large sample of women ( n = 1,235) on a set of categorical response variables. Using the perspective of the Theory of Work Adjustment, our results suggest that there are gender differences in reasons for departure, raising the possibility that engineering climates differentially reinforce needs for men and women. Implications of this research are discussed.

scholarly journals Gender Gaps in Achievement and Participation in Multiple Introductory Biology Classrooms

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Eddy ◽  
Sara E. Brownell ◽  
Mary Pat Wenderoth
Keyword(s):  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Grade Point Averages ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Gender Gaps ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Mathematics

Although gender gaps have been a major concern in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines such as physics and engineering, the numerical dominance of female students in biology has supported the assumption that gender disparities do not exist at the undergraduate level in life sciences. Using data from 23 large introductory biology classes for majors, we examine two measures of gender disparity in biology: academic achievement and participation in whole-class discussions. We found that females consistently underperform on exams compared with males with similar overall college grade point averages. In addition, although females on average represent 60% of the students in these courses, their voices make up less than 40% of those heard responding to instructor-posed questions to the class, one of the most common ways of engaging students in large lectures. Based on these data, we propose that, despite numerical dominance of females, gender disparities remain an issue in introductory biology classrooms. For student retention and achievement in biology to be truly merit based, we need to develop strategies to equalize the opportunities for students of different genders to practice the skills they need to excel.

scholarly journals Perceptions of stereotypes applied to women who publicly communicate their STEM work

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Merryn McKinnon ◽  
Christine O’Connell
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Change ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Academic Settings ◽  
Predominantly Female ◽  
And Mathematics

AbstractGender biases and stereotypes are prevalent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, which can create obstacles for the attraction, retention and progression of girls and women to STEM studies and careers. There are many initiatives which are used to attempt to address these biases and stereotypes, including the use of visible role models. This study explores the perceptions of the stereotypes applied to female STEM professionals who publicly speak about their work in both academic and non-academic settings. Using workshops with over 300 participants, predominantly female STEM professionals, from over 25 different cultural backgrounds, the results showed women who publicly communicate their work are likely to be stereotyped as ‘bitchy’, ‘bossy’, and ‘emotional’—often by their own gender. These findings suggest that women may be in a more vulnerable position when communicating publicly about their work, which could have implications for them participating fully in their careers. It may also have implications for programs which use role models to address prevailing STEM stereotypes. Systematic cultural and institutional change is needed in STEM fields to address the underlying bias and negative stereotypes facing women. However, it should be ensured that the intended solutions to facilitate this change are not compounding the problem.

Using Video to Increase Gender Bias Literacy Toward Women in Science

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evava S. Pietri ◽  
Corinne A. Moss-Racusin ◽  
John F. Dovidio ◽  
Dipika Guha ◽  
Gina Roussos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Bias ◽  
Women In Science ◽  
Mathematics Interventions ◽  
Gender Inequity ◽  
Unfair Treatment ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Expert Interview ◽  
Underrepresentation Of Women ◽  
And Mathematics

Despite evidence that gender biases contribute to the persistent underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, interventions that enhance gender bias literacy about these fields remain rare. The current research tested the effectiveness of two theoretically grounded sets of videos at increasing gender bias literacy as characterized by (a) awareness of bias, (b) knowledge of gender inequity, (c) feelings of efficacy at being able to notice bias, and (d) recognition and confrontation of bias across situations. The narrative videos utilized entertaining stories to illustrate gender bias, while the expert interview videos discussed the same bias during an interview with a psychology professor. The narrative videos increased participants’ immersion in the story and identification with characters, whereas the expert interviews promoted logical thinking and perceptions of being knowledgeable about gender bias facts. Compared with control videos, the narrative and expert interview videos increased awareness of bias (Experiments 1 and 2) and influenced knowledge of gender inequity, self-efficacy beliefs, and the recognition of bias in everyday situations (Experiment 2). However, only the expert interview videos affected participants’ intentions to confront unfair treatment. Additional online materials for this article are available to PWQ subscribers on PWQ’s website at http://pwq.sagepub.com/supplemental

scholarly journals One Size Does Not Fit All: Gender Inequity in STEM Varies Between Subfields

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Gisler ◽  
Anne E. Kato ◽  
Soohyun Lee ◽  
Desmond W. Leung
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Software Engineer ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Gender Inequity ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
And Mathematics

We wholeheartedly agree with Miner et al. (2018) that industrial and organizational (I-O) psychologists should take a lead in addressing gender inequity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The focal article is particularly timely in light of the recent controversial “Google memo” (Damore, 2017), in which a senior software engineer endorsed the same individual-level myths regarding the gender gap in STEM that were critiqued by Miner et al. (2018). However, we caution against painting all STEM fields with the same broad brush. We argue that it is critical for I-O psychologists to be aware of important differences between STEM subfields, as these distinctions suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” approach may be inadequate for addressing existing gender disparities in STEM. In order to be maximally effective, interventions may need to emphasize distinct issues and target different points in the career pipeline depending on the specific STEM subfield in question.

scholarly journals STEM Education for Girls and Women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
AISDL
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Nobel Prize ◽  
Gender Disparity ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
Royal Swedish Academy ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

The award of the 2020 Noble Prize in chemistry by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to Dr Emmanuel Charpentier and Dr Jennifer A. Doudna for the development of a method for genome editing does not only highlight the potential and promise that girls and women hold in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, but also that girls and women can excel to the highest level and achieve prominence in these careers. Sadly though, Dr Charpentier and Dr Doudna are only the sixth and seventh women, out of a total of 185 individuals, to have won the Nobel Prize in chemistry since the annual prize was awarded in 1901.i This implies that in the history of the Nobel Prize in chemistry, for every female winner there are 26 male winners. And in the history of all the Nobel Prizes in the sciences, there have been 20 female laureates of the more than 600 prizes awarded in physiology or medicine, chemistry and physics. These ratios reflect the gender disparity and inequality that exists in STEM fields globally.

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