Gender disparity in publication records: a qualitative study of women researchers in computing and engineering

Background The current paper follows up on the results of an exploratory quantitative analysis that compared the publication and citation records of men and women researchers affiliated with the Faculty of Computing and Engineering at Dublin City University (DCU) in Ireland. Quantitative analysis of publications between 2013 and 2018 showed that women researchers had fewer publications, received fewer citations per person, and participated less often in international collaborations. Given the significance of publications for pursuing an academic career, we used qualitative methods to understand these differences and explore factors that, according to women researchers, have contributed to this disparity. Methods Sixteen women researchers from DCU’s Faculty of Computing and Engineering were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Once interviews were transcribed and anonymised, they were coded by both authors in two rounds using an inductive approach. Results Interviewed women believed that their opportunities for research engagement and research funding, collaborations, publications and promotions are negatively impacted by gender roles, implicit gender biases, their own high professional standards, family responsibilities, nationality and negative perceptions of their expertise and accomplishments. Conclusions Our study has found that women in DCU’s Faculty of Computing and Engineering face challenges that, according to those interviewed, negatively affect their engagement in various research activities, and, therefore, have contributed to their lower publication record. We suggest that while affirmative programmes aiming to correct disparities are necessary, they are more likely to improve organisational culture if they are implemented in parallel with bottom-up initiatives that engage all parties, including men researchers and non-academic partners, to inform and sensitise them about the significance of gender equity.

The Concept of Gender Justice from the Perspective of Indonesian Women Ulama

Gender differences are unimportant as long as they do not result in gender inequality. However, it turns out that gender disparities have resulted in a variety of injustices, which affect both men and women. Gender inequality is a system and structure that affects both men and women equally. Because Islam is based on a relationship between Allah and individual women and men, the Qur'an's concept of Islam treats both women and men equally. According to Islamic normativity, a person's high and low quality is determined solely by his or her level of devotion to Allah. Humans are treated equally by God, who does not distinguish between them. God does not differentiate between men and women when it comes to the works he performs. Gender equity is a necessity for both men and women, according to Indonesian women researchers.

Trayectorias de producción científica y conciliación familiar de mujeres investigadoras en Quito

The scientific production of female researchers at the universities of Quito is analyzed in this study through the axes of working conditions, public and institutional policies and limitations for the development of scientific production. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between scientific production and family conciliation of women researchers from different areas of knowledge, problematizing the notion of scientific field with personal trajectories based on gender. Regarding the methodology, it is a qualitative study. Six in-depth interviews and a focus group with six participants were conducted. The analysis strategy being the analysis of the discourse organized by statements in relation to the categories indicated as axes.

SNSF Datastory - Are women submitting fewer grant proposals?

Studies and surveys confirm that during the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s workload at home has increased. Does that mean women researchers are also submitting fewer proposals to the SNSF? Analyses show that, with one exception, their share has remained stable.

FACTORS AFFECTING SYRIAN FEMALE RESEARCHERS’ EXPERIENCE DURING CRISIS: INDUCTIVE APPROACH

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore factors influencing Syrian female academic researchers’ experience in academic research in the field of business and economics studies. Research Methodology – The research methodology follows a qualitative approach. The methodology is based on conducting focus groups with female academic researchers selected from Syrian public and private universities, to clarify any potential factors, which may be influencing women researchers’ experience. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview protocol is designed to be applied to this target group. A judgement-sampling technique is selected at Syrian public and private universities. Findings – The research findings indicate that personality traits, passion for research, marital and maternal status are important micro-level factors are influencing female researchers’ experience. Academic work overload, an organisational culture of the institution, need for networking support with the business sector, are identified as meso factors. Finally, social culture and norms of the Middle Eastern societies, stereotyping and interpretation of religion are crucial factors at a macrolevel. The research develops a theoretical framework of dimensions, which may be influencing female academic researchers in the field of business and economics. Research Limitation/Implications – The research limitation is associated with sampling size and geographical scope. Future studies could investigate a larger sample with representative geographical scopes, and employs theory testing approaches. Future research could also extend its investigation to examine further disciplines including science, mathematics, engineering and technology. Practical Implications – The study provides practical advice to decision and policymakers examining employment and hiring structure and suggests evaluating policies associated with support with childcare providing on-campus childcare. The study advises introducing support mechanisms for improving the reward system and compensations schemes for academic researchers, encouraging the development and production of scientific research. Originality/Value – There is no prior research on women researchers in Syria. This research is considered as a new perspective of women researchers in Syria during a sensitive time, which characterises Syria. The study provides a theoretical contribution associated with experiences of female researchers at faculties of business and economics in Syrian higher education.

Bases de datos de mujeres expertas: escenario global y situación en España

This paper examines databases of female experts as tools to promote gender parity in the sources consulted and cited by journalists. To do this, we conducted a search of databases available online (n = 88) and carried out in-depth interviews with people in charge of these databases (n = 4) as well as a survey among female scientific researchers included in the database of the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists of Spain (AMIT) (n = 919). The main results reflect the great potential of these tools but indicate that, to be effective, they require fluid communication with the media and a design that allows their incorporation into the regular routines of journalists. In Spain, their impact is still low and, as in the rest of the world, there is great fragmentation of resources accompanied by very weak interaction among the different initiatives. Resumen Se presenta un análisis de las bases de datos de mujeres expertas como herramientas para fomentar la paridad de género en las fuentes que consultan y citan los periodistas. Para informar nuestro trabajo, hemos llevado a cabo una búsqueda de las bases de datos disponibles online (n=88). En un segundo momento, la completamos con la realización de entrevistas en profundidad con las directivas al frente de estas bases (n=4) y con la realización de una encuesta a expertas científicas que participan de la base de datos de la Asociación de Mujeres Investigadoras y Tecnólogas de España (AMIT) (n=919). Los principales resultados reflejan el alto potencial de estas herramientas e indican que, para que resulten eficaces a la hora de sumar diversidad en la selección de fuentes expertas, requieren una comunicación fluida con los medios y un diseño que permita incorporarlas a las rutinas habituales de los periodistas. En España su impacto aún es bajo y, al igual que ocurre a nivel global, se aprecia una alta fragmentación de los recursos junto a un nivel casi nulo de interacción entre las distintas iniciativas.

On the Celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Assessment of the Factors Mediating Women’s Empowerment in Scientific Research in Saudi Arabia

We present this study as a contribution to celebrate “the International Day of Women and Girls in Science”. Women’s empowerment in scientific research is a crucial issue in the United Nations “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This study aimed to investigate the obstacles facing women researchers in scientific research in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional survey was used to assess women researchers’ perceptions towards the roles of universities, donors and women researchers. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used for data analysis. Findings showed that the overall assessment of women’s empowerment in scientific research is moderate and faces a mixture of obstacles mainly due to dissatisfaction with the role of donors. Moreover, the role of universities has not yet reached a satisfactory level, while the role of women researchers was satisfactory. The results demonstrated that the role of the university enhances the role of the donor institutions, while the role of researchers has a significant positive influence on the role of the university. No significant association between the role of the researchers and donors was achieved. In conclusion, despite the great achievement by women researchers in empowering themselves as scientific researchers, they still need more support from the university and donors.