Discussions around improving peer review often focus on openness as a mechanism to reduce bias. Drawing on a recent study of double and single anonymisation at the British Ecological Society, Charles Fox argues for the benefits of double anonymisation …
Category: gender bias
The bias puzzle – Understanding gender differences in academia
Bias in academia can often be difficult to pinpoint and separate out from difference. Responding to a recent call from the journal Nature to set new guidelines for studies dealing with race and ethnicity, Vincent A. Traag and Ludo Waltman, outline how …
Book Review: Gender and the Dismal Science: Women in the Early Years of the Economics Profession by Ann Mari May
In Gender and the Dismal Science: Women in the Early Years of the Economics Profession, Ann Mari May explores the historical roots of gendered inequalities within economics. This is an excellent feminist reading of institutionalised discrimination with…
Measuring the toll of COVID-19 on academic parents and what we can do about it
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted academic lives differentially, not the least of which, those who have lost relatives and live with the effects of the virus. For other groups, such as carers and academic parents, the pandemic has brought about a sign…
Changing the gender narrative with open access
Academic success is regularly framed in terms of a particular set of publishing activities that disadvantages women. In this post, Katie Wilson and Lucy Montgomery discuss their recent research into how women researchers have pioneered the use of open …
As gender equality becomes a priority for EU research funding, does Europe need Athena SWAN?
As Horizon Europe considers the inclusion of gender equality criteria to its research funding activities, Jörg Müller and Charoula Tzanakou assess what can be learnt from the international experience of implementing the Athena SWAN charter and awards s…
The devil’s in the framing: language and bias
How we say things can be as important as what we say. In this post, Ella Whiteley explores the “framing effect”, its implications for education and research communication and in particular, its salience to discussions of sex and gender. Picture yourse…
Which speakers will benefit from the rise in remote seminar presentations?
The pandemic has led to a surge in working from home and a fall in business travel. More meetings have taken place remotely. Marcus Biermann looks at how the changes have played out in academic seminars in economics, and asks whether women in academia …
Female researchers are more read and less cited because they more often engage in research for societal progress
The gender gap in citations between male and female researchers is well documented. However, the reasons for this gap are less certain and widely contested. Discussing findings from a mixed methods analysis of research publications from Norway, Lin Zha…
Book Review: Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power and Resistance of Women in Academia edited by Yolanda Flores Niemann, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs and Carmen G. Gonzalez
In Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power and Resistance of Women in Academia, editors Yolanda Flores Niemann, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs and Carmen G. Gonzalez offer a new collection of essays highlighting challenges to access, survival and succe…