Gender prejudice in the research world: female researchers in a conflict zone, Kashmir

Abstract

Purpose – The research world is full of women who have explored the scientific world and given their best to humanity. Kashmir, known for its conflict rather than its beauty now, has also given birth to a number of women researchers who have excelled in their respective fields. The study attempts to explore the contributions to the scientific world of women from the University of Kashmir, one of the leading institutions of Kashmir. The research contributions of women from a conflict zone, Kashmir, have been taken into account in the study. Methodology – The data related to the women researchers of Kashmir were extracted from the largest citation and abstract database of peer-reviewed literature, Elsevier’s Scopus, which features smart tools that track, analyse and visualise research from varied dimensions. Findings – The study reveals the effect of conflict on women in the scientific world. The findings show that there are significant differences by gender in terms of research productivity in a conflict region. Furthermore, in the present context, a changing trend is seen as women researchers also show involvement in the scientific world which, if taken seriously, can help in developing a better and more promising feminist research world. Practical Implications – The study can help in laying down the real picture and status of women researchers in a conflict zone. The study urges that governments in conflict zones should take steps to popularise investment in women’s education and research programmes to better equip and motivate women researchers. Originality/value – Further research can be carried out to discover the problems faced by women researchers in a conflict zone.