Women are credited less in science than men

Area of Science:

• Gender studies in STEM
• Scientific collaboration dynamics
• Research attribution

Background:

• A documented gender gap exists in scientific output, impacting women's career progression.
• Potential causes include productivity differences or lack of acknowledgment for women's contributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which unacknowledged contributions contribute to the gender gap in scientific output.
• To determine if women are less likely to be credited for their work in research teams.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of large-scale administrative data on research teams, output, and credit attribution.
• An extensive survey of authors regarding the recognition of scientific contributions.
• Qualitative analysis of responses to understand reasons for differential attribution.

Main Results:

• Women in research teams are significantly less likely than men to be named as authors on articles or patents.
• This gender gap in attribution is prevalent across most scientific fields and career stages.
• Author surveys confirm that women's contributions are systematically less recognized.

Conclusions:

• A significant portion of the observed gender gap in scientific output is attributable to differential credit and authorship.
• Reasons for under-attribution include work being unknown, unappreciated, or ignored.
• Addressing attribution bias is crucial for achieving gender equity in science.