Gender gap in the field of STEM.
We’ve all heard this, right? But does recent research still indicate a gender gap?
I will focus on an intriguing recent study that focused on whether women remain underrepresented in Dentistry in academia. Researchers, Franco and her team, performed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that involved randomly assigning researchers male or female curriculum vitae (CV) more commonly referred to as resumes. Evaluators scored the CV’s by examining four categories: scientific contribution, leadership potential, ability to work in groups, and international experience. RCT’s are the most precise methods to identify a cause-and-effect relationship in research.
Created by HA Park
In total, 56 evaluators were assigned to evaluate 1 CV each randomized to a female or male CV. They each gave a score from 1-10 for the four categories where 1 was very insufficient and 10 was very sufficient. To not introduce bias in the evaluations, full name and publication lists on the CV’s were hidden along with any other external information including researcher ID, ORCID ID, social media profiles, and grant numbers that can be cross-checked online.
Interestingly, male CV’s received higher scores for all four categories of CVs evaluated ( scientific contribution, leadership potential, ability to work in groups, and international experience) than female CV’s. For example, male CV’s were almost 75% more likely to be seen as high leadership potential compared to female CV’s. This study points to gender bias that likely exists in academia, specifically in the field of dentistry.
To the researchers’ knowledge, this was the first RCT done to evaluate the impact of gender on researchers’ assessment for dentistry CV’s. More similar studies are needed to strengthen the evidence of gender bias in academia and to confirm these results. Such studies are imperative to inform policy and create changes towards a more equitable workplace in STEM.
Reference:
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-142879/v1
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