The Gender Gap Amongst Doctoral Students in the Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

Historically women have been underrepresented in STEM careers. While the number of women receiving doctorate degrees in the biological sciences has exceeded the number of men since approximately 2005, there is still a disparity between the sexes at more advanced career stages. Achieving equity is an important social goal and there is an expected benefit to science since diverse groups outperform homogeneous groups. There are many factors that contribute to the disparity between men and women in science, including a disparity in research productivity. While many studies have documented this "productivity paradox" and examined factors driving this disparity, few studies have addressed differences in productivity between men and women doctoral students. This is an important population to assess since the individuals are in the formative stages of their academic career and differences in productivity could have a significant impact on career progression. This study addresses this question and identified more than 42,000 doctoral students in the biological and biomedical sciences working with over 16,000 advisors at 235 institutions in the United States and finds a disparity in research productivity between men and women. Men produce >10% more first author papers, >15% more total papers and their first author papers receive >17% more citations. The findings establish the generality of the gender gap in research productivity among doctoral students in the biological and biomedical sciences. Redressing this gap at the formative stage of young scientists careers, when they are establishing their credentials to advance in their field, is important to address the disparity between the sexes in the biomedical workforce.