Researchers' sex/gender identity influences how sex/gender question is investigated in neuroscience: An example from an OHBM meeting

Abstract

Abstract Gender inequality and diversity in STEM is a challenging field of research. Although the relation between the sex/gender of the researcher and the scientific research practices has been previously examined, less interest has been demonstrated towards the relation between sex/gender of the researcher and the research topic. Here, we examine, from a neurofeminist perspective, both questions: whether sex/gender diversity is related to the examination of sex/gender as a variable and whether sex/gender diversity is related to the topic of study. Using the database of submitted posters to the Organization of Human Brain Mapping 2022 annual conference, we identified abstracts examining a sex/gender-related research question. Among these target abstracts, we identified four analytical categories, varying in their degree of content-related complexity: (1) sex/gender as a covariate, (2) sex/gender as a binary variable for the study of sex/gender differences, (3) sex/gender with additional biological information, and (4) sex/gender with additional social information. Statistical comparisons between sex/gender of researcher and the research topics showed that the proportion of abstracts from Non-binaryor Other first authors compared to both Women and Men was lower for all submitted abstracts than for the target abstracts; that more researchers with sex/gender-identity other than Man implemented analytical category 4; and, for instance, that research involving cognitive, affective, and behavioural neuroscience more frequently fit into categories 4. Word cloud analysis confirmed the validity of the four exploratorily identified analytical categories. We conclude by discussing how raising awareness about contemporary neurofeminist approaches, including perspectives from the global south, is critical to neuroscientific and societal progress.