Gender inequality and research performance: moving beyond individual-meritocratic explanations of academic advancement
Publication type
journal article
Publication date
2016
Author(s)
Nielsen, M.W.
Language
English
Geographical area
Abstract
Academic debates addressing the persistent gender gap in science reveal considerable contestation of the relevance and extent of the problem. Particular attention has been given to the question of whether women's high attrition rates should be ascribed to the structural and cultural barriers inherent to the academic system or instead individualistic matters, such as personal motivation, performance and merit. In order to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of this particular issue, this cross-sectional bibliometric study investigates the link between gender and research performance in the Danish context. More specifically, it compares the citation and self-citation rates, source normalized impact per publication scores and collaborative patterns of 3293 male and female researchers at a Danish university and provides evidence challenging the widespread assumption of a persistent performance gap in favour of male researchers. The result has implications for research organizations and managers, as it raises concerns about the validity of individual-meritocratic explanations of the skewed gender distributions in academia. © 2015 Society for Research into Higher Education.
Journal
Studies in Higher Education
ISSN
0307-5079
Volume
41
Issue
11
Pagination
2044-2060