In academic directing, the gender gap is wider in physical sciences more than medical fields.Credit: Assembly/Getty
Data from the index of nature It reveals the slow erosion of the gender gap in spreading global research over the past decade. But with only 27 % of high -quality leaves in the natural sciences that have common books in 2024, there is a great room for improvement. In health sciences – where women have a stronger presence – this number sits 41 % (see “sex composition”).
Regarding research topics, the highest representation of the authors participating in 2024 in genital medicine (53 %), pediatrics (50 %), nutrition and nutrition (50 %). Classic physics (15 %), quantum physics (16 %) and intense physics (16 %) have some of the lowest percentage of female authorship.
Among the leading universities in the Nature Index, as it was measured by participation (a scale that tracks the contribution of countries or regions and institutions in the magazines of the natural and health sciences followed by the index), most of them did not approach the realization of gender equivalence in research authorship- that is, women make up 40-60 % of the authors in general. In 2024, many of these institutions sat less than 30 % in terms of joint composition of females. Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, stands out, however, with 38 % of female authorship.
Among the ten best countries in the Nature Index, only three – the United States, Canada and France (all of them 34 %) – represented by more than 30 % in 2024.
Analysis results Available on the nature index for users to explore it.
There are many important warnings that must be taken into account when comparing the results across countries, institutions and topics, but the clear image that appears is the amount of work that has not yet been done to achieve a more balanced representation between the sexes in research publishing.
2024 research leaders
“The problem is that men and women do not generally work under the same circumstances,” says Lin Nigard, a specialist in academic writing, gender issues and diversity at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo. “There is a deviant distribution between the fields, and the various fields have different patterns and publishing situations, with more men in higher positions and women in beginners positions.”
She adds that access to sexual parity will require deep commitment and long -term coordination across countries and institutions.
Natural sciences are still late
One of the clearest trends in data is how the balance of the sexes vary through natural sciences and health sciences (the latter was added to the Nature Index in 2022). This reflects what was previously reported in the research sectors around the world: male researchers tend to control physics, for example, while in life sciences and health specialties, The gender gap is not large.
Among the ten topics containing the highest percentage of female authors for the year 2024, most of them in health sciences (see “Title Trends”).
The subjects of physical sciences and physical sciences, which were primarily the subjects of chemistry and physical sciences, were the subjects of chemistry and physical sciences, many of which were less than 20 % of females.
On the rural level (see “country comparisons”), female authorship is heading up, but progress is very slow. Between 2015 and 2024, the United States has increased its female composition from 26 % to 34 %-the largest increase in a percentage between the ten best countries in the index. In comparison, South Korea has been composed by females from 21 % to 23 % during the same period.
Data restrictions
Caution is needed when looking at the results of the analysis at the country and land levels, due to the methodology of the methodology.
To create the data collection, the Nature Index Chatbot Chatgpt, created by Openai, used in San Francisco, California, used to conclude the authors on the basis of their country’s original country and the attitudes of the Association of Names in this country (see “methodology”).
Some countries and regions have stronger associations for names and nationality – in other words, most people with a specific name will be determined as a specific sex – from others, which may make the results of the analysis unequal. Authors who have low confidence have been excluded that the exact model of sex conclusion has been excluded from the analysis, including most names in some countries, such as China and Singapore.
It is important to consider the results of the analysis as a closer, and to search for other sources when collecting a picture of gender balance in academic research.
Set the standard
The analysis at the level of the institution includes an additional scale: the expected values of the female authorship rate in an institution, based on the amount of research that it publishes in male or female heavy sciences. For example, an institution that is mostly published in physics – a field with female authorship rates historically1 -It will have a small percentage expected by authors compared to the institutions specialized in health science research.
If the percentage of the actual institutions of institutions exceeds this calculated value, it indicates that the institution exceeds expectations in promoting gender diversity.
Among the United States universities, the leading lead in the Nature Index, for example, all of which exceeded the expectation of female authorship in 2024. Washington University, in Seattle, was one of the largest gaps, with an expected percentage of female authorship by 27 % compared to the actual percentage of 37 %. Among the ten leading Japanese universities in the Nature Index, in comparison, did not exceed any expected percentage of female authorship.
The factors behind improvement
There are many reasons behind the continuous gender gap in academic publishing, says Nygaard. Her research2 It has shown that the gender publishing gap is almost disappearing as soon as factors such as job breaks and child care are calculated, as well as “the most difficult challenges facing women.” This includes it is expected to spend more time to provide pastoral care for students and do academic “homework”, such as editing magazines, peer review, and pressure to represent women on paintings and media interviews.