Research agendas of female and male academics: a new perspective on gender disparities in academia

ABSTRACT

The presence of gender disparities in academia was assessed by analysing the characteristics of the research agendas of academics. Multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modelling coupled with multi-group analysis were used to identify different gender trajectories. The research agenda preferences of women were less risky and less focused on fields likely to lead to scientific discovery, but were organised in a more collaborative way than those of men. In addition, institutional characteristics were found to influence the research agenda preferences of both women and men. However, the perceived autonomy allowed by a university was more important for female than for male academics to develop more ambitious, collaborative, risky and multidisciplinary efforts. Female academics also needed more time after completing their PhD to develop a preference for riskier research agendas, but past research outputs, the number of co-authors and mobility did not change their agendas.

KEYWORDS:

• Research agendas
• institutional characteristics
• gender inequalities
• academic profession
• Collaboration

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by doctoral grant PD/BD/113999/2015 from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), and co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Education. This research was also funded by the Research Grants Council (Hong Kong) through a project entitled ‘Characterizing researchers’ research agenda-setting: An international perspective across fields of knowledge’ (project number: 27608516). The first two authors contributed equally to this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 These networks are characterised by homosocial desire and reproduction, related to men’s tendency to feel more comfortable talking to other men on a variety of topics, including locker-room topics. These networks play a key role in defining gender roles and reproducing specific images and values as appropriate when focusing on issues related to social interactions and power structures. They refer to homophily and the management of uncertainty during recruitment, thereby promoting gendered organisations. In academia, these networks often reflect a male-dominated discourse hidden behind labels of research, scholarliness and rationality (Morgan 1981).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by doctoral grant PD/BD/113999/2015 from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), and co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Education. This research was also funded by the Research Grants Council (Hong Kong) through a project entitled ‘Characterizing researchers’ research agenda-setting: An international perspective across fields of knowledge’ (project number: 27608516).

Notes on contributors

João M. Santos

João M. Santos is a researcher based at the Lisbon Universitary Institute (ISCTE-IUL) in Portugal. João collaborates regularly with other higher education institutions such as Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in Portugal and the University of Hong Kong, and also provides consultancy for governments, trans-national organizations, and private businesses. His research work includes studies in the areas of science and technology policy, higher education, social psychology, and data analysis. His main interests are multidisciplinary studies with a strong emphasis on the social dimension of complex issues, with a preference for quantitative methods and techniques such as statistical analysis and machine learning.

Hugo Horta

Hugo Horta is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong since September 2014. He developed scholarly work in the United States, The Netherlands, Japan, and Portugal during his PhD studies and postdoctoral position. He also worked outside academia, as Advisor to the Portuguese Secretary of State of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and as the Portuguese National delegate to the European Research Area Steering Committee on Human Resources and Mobility. His main topics of interest refer to academic research processes and outcomes (including research agendas and research productivity), academic mobility and knowledge dynamics, and career trajectories of PhD holders. He is currently Coordinating editor of Higher Education, a leading journal of higher education studies, and sits in the advisory/editorial boards of several international higher education journals.

Lígia Amâncio

Lígia Amâncio graduated in Psychology and Education and holds a PhD in Sociology. She is emeritus professor of social psychology at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL). Her research interests focus on gender studies and the discrimination of women at work in high status professions such as science, politics, medicine, the bench. She was member of the team responsible for the first survey of the Portuguese scientific community (results published in 1992), participated in the Portuguese research team of the ISSP survey on Family and Gender in 2004 and 2014 and chaired the Portuguese team of the H2020 Coordination and Support Action SAGE (Systematic Action for Gender Equality, 2016–2019). She was also President of the Commission for Equality and Women’s Rights (1996–1998) and Vice-President of the Foundation for Science and Technology of the Ministry of Science and Technology (2006–2012).