Gender gaps in scientific research: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: The gender gaps present in the field of scientific and academic research generate discrimination and lack of equal opportunities for women, resulting in several barriers that significantly limit women's scientific productivity. The objective was to identify the main gender gaps in productivity and scientific research. Method: The researchers conducted a systematic search for articles on gender disparities in women's scientific production in the SCOPUS and REDALYC repositories, taking into account manuscripts in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Articles on gender gaps in scientific production were included, while empirical studies with other approaches to gender discrimination were excluded. Studies that did not address gender differences in scientific research, those that focused only on specific scientific disciplines without taking gender into account, and those that were not available in their entirety were excluded. The search and selection were conducted from May and June 2023. To avoid stumbling blocks, other methods were used, such as initially filtering titles based on a search equation and then excluding those that did not address gender differences in scientific research. Next, manuscripts were reviewed and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. Finally, the remaining research was thoroughly reviewed to obtain the information needed for the study. Results: A total of 23 articles were analyzed, addressing various issues such as discrimination, lack of policies to support women, academic inequalities and other factors that make female participation more difficult. Conclusion: The main findings revealed gender gaps that have an impact on worldwide female scientific production. The literature frequently focuses on low output without investigating the causes. When they approach, they just treat the surface. Future research should focus on gender disparities in production, as well as the daily challenges women face in research and scientific production.