How do women and men differ in research collaborations based on authorship positions? The Spanish case

Area of Science:

• Bibliometrics
• Sociology of Science
• Gender Studies in STEM

Background:

• Gender disparities persist in scientific careers, impacting collaboration and visibility.
• Authorship position is often used as a proxy for research contribution and leadership.
• International and industry collaborations are increasingly important in modern science.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender disparities in authorship and collaboration within the Spanish scientific workforce.
• To analyze the influence of gender on authorship position, research field, career stage, and team size in international and industry co-authored publications.
• To evaluate the implications of these disparities for research assessment practices.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a large dataset (>165,000 publications, >170,000 authors) from Spanish institutions.
• Examination of authorship positions (first, last, corresponding) in international and industry co-authored papers.
• Stratification of data by research field, career stage, and team size.

Main Results:

• Women are consistently under-represented in international and industry collaborations, particularly in key authorship roles.
• Female researchers' visibility in leadership positions decreases with career progression and increasing team size.
• Gender disparities in prominent authorship persist even in highly feminized fields like Biomedical & Health Sciences.

Conclusions:

• Current research assessment metrics relying on authorship position may disadvantage women.
• Findings underscore the need for more equitable evaluation systems that acknowledge collaborative and diverse research contributions.
• Policy recommendations are proposed to foster gender equity in scientific collaborations and career progression.