Dive Brief:
- A new study examining the research impact of women in 12 developed nations suggests that representation has dramatically increased over the last 15 years: More than 40% of researchers in 10 nations are women.
- Data suggests that the total number of female inventors is also increasing, but gaps remain in key areas such as published research, collaborative projects involving international peers, and work with industrial partners.
- Female researchers are most likely to work in health and life sciences, the study found.
Dive Insight:
Colleges and universities seeking to create more gender equity in their research imprints can view this data as an important tool with which to measure their own cultures of inclusion. If campuses are outperforming developed nations in the proportion of women producing peer-reviewed research in key areas, sharing the data could be an important factor in recruiting and retaining great professional female faculty members and grant funding for projects.
Other considerations for campuses below national or global averages could include specific recruitment of women for department chair positions, which not only would help to spur additional research, but in some cases can support growth in diversity outcomes for the student body.