On a trajectory towards parity: An historical analysis of gender in funding from the National Science Foundation
Publication type
conference paper
Publication date
2017
Author(s)
Sugimoto, C.R.
Bérubé, N.
Larivière, V.
Language
English
View point(s)
Grants & Awards
Abstract
Human capacity for innovation is not well-utilized in a system that favors one gender over another. Despite decades of policies in gender equity in science, disparities persist along several dimensions. One dimension that has been relatively understudied is the role of funding on gender disparities in science. To address this gap, we provide an historical analysis (1981-2016) of funding, by gender, from the National Science Foundation in the United States. We find that the mean rate of funds received by women is higher than that of men (and has been so since the early 2000s). However, men control the dominant share of funding and fellowships. As a work-in-progress paper, we discuss the extraction and cleaning of the data, provide an initial analysis, and describe the ongoing analysis of these data. The results provide policy makers with a much needed historical lens on progress towards parity, identifying areas of success and areas which require additional efforts in order to fund women at rates equal to their participation in science.
ISBN
978-88-3381-118-5
Pagination
1162-1167