Inhalt: Women engage in less commercial patenting and invention than do men, which may affect what is invented. Using text analysis of all U.S. biomedical patents filed from 1976 through 2010, we found that patents with all-female inventor teams are 35% more likely than all-male teams to focus on women's health. This effect holds over decades and across research areas. We also found that female researchers are more likely to discover female-focused ideas. These findings suggest that the inventor gender gap is partially responsible for thousands of missing female-focused inventions since 1976. More generally, our findings suggest that who benefits from innovation depends on who gets to invent. Die Professoren Rembrand Koning von der Harvard Business School, Sampsa Samila von der IESE Business School und John-Paul Ferguson von der McGill University analysierten mehr als 430.000 biomedizinische US-Patente, angemeldet zwischen 1976 und 2010. Patente mit ausschließlich weiblichen Erfinderteams drehen sich mit 35% höherer Wahrscheinlichkeit um die Gesundheit von Frauen als die Ergebnisse rein männlicher Teams. Im Jahr 1976 stammten nur 6 Prozent der biomedizinischen Patente von Teams, die von Frauen geleitet wurden, 2010 waren es bereits 16%. Dieser Anstieg um 10 Prozentpunkte führte zu deutlich mehr Innovationen im Bereich der Gesundheit von Frauen. Frauen stellen derzeit etwa 35% der Wissenschaftler in den MINT-Fächern. Laut der Studie gibt es Gründe dafür, dass sie bei Patentanmeldungen nicht zahlreicher zu finden sind. Noch immer gebe es geschlechtsspezifische Diskriminierung auf dem Arbeitsmarkt und in den Entscheidungsprozessen, welche F&E-Vorhaben Manager als aussichtsreich erachten. „Ungleichheit auf dem Arbeitsmarkt kann zu Ungleichheit im Produktbereich führen“, erklärt IESE-Prof. Samila. „Diskriminierung auf dem Arbeitsmarkt ist nicht nur ein Problem für den Einzelnen, sondern für die gesamte Gesellschaft, da die Beiträge derjenigen fehlen, die diskriminiert wurden“. Der Abbau von Barrieren für benachteiligte Gruppen fördere daher Innovation und Wirtschaftswachstum. „Es mag noch viele ungenutzte Marktchancen für Erfindungen für Frauen geben, Möglichkeiten, die wiederum die Gesundheit von Frauen verbessern könnten“. Patente von Frauen drehten sich mit höherer Wahrscheinlichkeit um die Gesundheit von Frauen als diejenigen, die von Männern ersonnen wurden. Fortschritte durch weibliche Erfinder gibt es zuhauf. So hat die Unternehmerin Surbhi Sarna aus ihrer eigenen Angst vor Eierstockkrebs heraus ein besseres Werkzeug zur Krebserkennung erfunden. Dr. Patricia Bath fand eine präzisere Behandlung für den Grauen Star, von dem Frauen häufiger betroffen sind als Männer. Die neue Studie untermauert diese Ergebnisse mit einer systematischen Datenanalyse. Während schon mehrheitlich weibliche Erfinderteams sich eher dem weiblichen Geschlecht widmen, ist das Muster bei reinen Frauenteams am stärksten ausgeprägt. Der Zusammenhang zwischen weiblichen Erfindern und Erfindungen ist sowohl das Ergebnis auf Frauen fokussierter Forschungsbereiche wie der Gynäkologie als auch der Kunst weiblicher Erfinder in allen Wissenschaftsbereichen, Gelegenheiten für Erfindungen, die Frauen helfen, zu erkennen. (deutsches Abstract: idw)

Schlagwörter:Forschung; gender dimensions; Geschlechterungleichheit; health; Lebenswissenschaften; Medizin; Patent; Qualität

CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aba6990

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: This article explores how female university students’ abilities to present themselves as ‘authentic’ engineers are imbricated with discursive constructions of gender and gender equality. The empirical data comes from interviews and video diaries collected with three female engineering students. The analysis demonstrates the power of the Swedish gender equality discourse to inform the students’ talk as they negotiate their gendered identities to become intelligible as engineering students and engineers. We suggest that gender equality is used as a resource in the repertoires, but we also demonstrate that this discourse becomes a dilemma in that it limits possibilities for gender performances to go beyond old patterns. Despite this, the article still shows three unique ways of negotiating gender and other social categories in different situations connected to university learning and participation in internships.

Schlagwörter:discourse; Diskurs; engineering; Gleichstellungspolitik; Identität; Identitätsbildung; Ingenieurwissenschaft; Schweden; Studentin; Sweden

CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Studium und Studierende

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1963419

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: The transition of early career researchers into academic posts is understood to be a crucial career step and marks a point at which representation of women declines significantly. The research adopts a participatory qualitative research methodology through career narrative interviews and group discussions with women engineers recently appointed into academic posts. It was found that academic careers are ‘hoped for’, but not described as a straightforward option in terms of either securing tenure or future career development. The collective career paths outlined were rarely linear and featured key moments of crisis and self-doubt, culminating in ‘tentative’ career identity formation in the face of gendered career structures. There is evidence of a pre-emptive and continuing uncertainty about the feasibility of an academic career that begins years before embarking on a PhD. The distinctive contribution of the study is the consideration of gendered early processes of forming an academic identity and ongoing collective experiences of becoming an academic.

Schlagwörter:akademische Karriere; early career researchers; Gender; Ingenieurwissenschaft; soziale Konstruktion; transition; Übergangsphase; wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs

CEWS Kategorie:Berufsbiographie und Karriere, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Wissenschaft als Beruf, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1865523

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: Despite increasing rates of women researching in math-intensive fields, publications by female authors remain underrepresented. By analyzing millions of records from the dedicated bibliographic databases zbMATH, arXiv, and ADS, we unveil the chronological evolution of authorships by women in mathematics, physics, and astronomy. We observe a pronounced shortage of female authors in top-ranked journals, with quasistagnant figures in various distinguished periodicals in the first two disciplines and a significantly more equitable situation in the latter. Additionally, we provide an interactive open-access web interface to further examine the data. To address whether female scholars submit fewer articles for publication to relevant journals or whether they are consciously or unconsciously disadvantaged by the peer review system, we also study authors’ perceptions of their submission practices and analyze around 10,000 responses, collected as part of a recent global survey of scientists. Our analysis indicates that men and women perceive their submission practices to be similar, with no evidence that a significantly lower number of submissions by women is responsible for their underrepresentation in top-ranked journals. According to the self-reported responses, a larger number of articles submitted to prestigious venues correlates rather with aspects associated with pronounced research activity, a well-established network, and academic seniority.

Schlagwörter:Astronomie; gender bias; Geschlechterunterschied; Journal; mathematics; Mathematik; Physik; Publikation; Publikationsverhalten; survey

CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Wissenschaft als Beruf, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00090

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: Background: To address social disparities and generate an innovative workforce, engineering higher education should provide learning environments that benefit students from all backgrounds. However, because engineering programs are not enrolling or retaining women of color at demographic parity, a better understanding of these students’ experiences is needed to develop effective interventions. Purpose: This study analyzes research on women of color in undergraduate engineering education to determine what influences their experiences, participation, and advancement. We identify challenges to and strategies for persistence and present recommendations for engineering institutions to create interventions that support women of color and mitigate institutional inequities. Scope/Method: Using the snowballing method, we identified 65 empirical studies published between 1999 and 2015 that met the criteria for this review. These studies represented qualitative, mixed-methods, and quantitative methodologies from various fields. We conducted a systematic thematic synthesis, informed by frames of intersectionality, critical race theory, and community cultural wealth. Conclusions: Women of color use navigational strategies to address the social pain of race and gender inequity in engineering education. Institutions should take responsibility for generating a sense of belonging for women of color and provide social and structural supports that increase self-efficacy, address social pain, and improve retention.

Schlagwörter:Ingenieurwissenschaft; Intersektionalität; literature review; people of color; Studium; undergraduate; women of color

CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Hochschulen, Studium und Studierende, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jee.20345

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: Trotz der seit mehreren Jahrzehnten bestehenden geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede in der Studienfachwahl, ist es der bisherigen Forschung nur zum Teil gelungen, die zugrundeliegenden Ursachen empirisch herauszuarbeiten und die geschlechtsspezifische Studienfachwahl vollständig zu erklären. Der vorliegende Beitrag geht daher aus verschiedenen interdisziplinären Blickwinkeln der Frage nach, warum Männer und Frauen unterschiedliche Studienfächer wählen und betrachtet hierbei fünf Fächergruppen. Die Ergebnisse der multinominalen logistischen Regressions- und Dekompositionsanalysen zeigen, dass die geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede hauptsächlich aus vorgelagerten Bildungsentscheidungen und den damit zusammenhängenden Interessen- und Leistungsprofilen resultieren. Die kulturelle Zuschreibung von geschlechterkonformen Verhaltensweisen zeigt sich hierbei nicht in antizipierten Diskriminierungsprozessen, sondern in einer geschlechtsspezifischen Wahrnehmung der eigenen Fähigkeiten und der Entwicklung unterschiedlicher Berufsinteressen. Die Geschlechterunterschiede in den verschiedenen Fächergruppen sind jedoch teilweise auf unterschiedliche Ursachen zurückzuführen.

Schlagwörter:discipline; Gender; geschlechterspezifische Studiengänge; horizontal segregation; horizontale Segregation; quantitative Analyse; quantitative analysis; Studienfach; Studienfachwahl

CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Studium und Studierende, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2020-0005

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: Sexual harassment occurs more frequently in male-dominated fields and physics is a more male-dominated field than most other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Thus, it is important to examine the occurrence and impact of sexual harassment on women in physics. A survey of undergraduate women, who attended a conference for undergraduate women in physics, revealed that approximately three quarters (74.3%; 338/455) of survey respondents experienced at least one type of sexual harassment. This sample was recruited from a large fraction of undergraduate women in physics in the United States. We find that certain types of sexual harassment predict a negative sense of belonging and exacerbate the imposter phenomenon. The types of sexual harassment that predict these outcomes, both forms of gender harassment, while seemingly less severe types of harassment, have been found to have substantially negative personal and professional consequences. These findings are important since prior work has found that sense of belonging and the imposter phenomenon are related to students’ persistence in STEM fields. Our results have implications for understanding and improving persistence in physics by informing the community about the occurrence of sexual harassment and its effects so that we can begin to work towards reducing its occurrence and mitigating its effects.

Schlagwörter:discrimination; Diskriminierung; higher education; Hochschulen; MINT; physics education; prevalence; sexual harassment; sexuelle Belästigung; STEM

CEWS Kategorie:Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Sexuelle Belästigung und Gewalt

Verfügbarkeit:https://journals.aps.org/prper/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevPhysE...

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: Various studies try to disentangle the gender-specific competencies or decisions that lead to a career in a STEM field and try to find a way to encourage more women to pursue this kind of career. The present study examines differences in the meaning of work (i.e., their professional goal orientation) of students who are enrolled in STEM or non-STEM programs in tertiary education. Based on the background that gender stereotypes associate women and men with communal or agentic roles respectively, we expected that women in STEM subjects differ in their professional goal orientation from women in non-STEM programs. More precisely, women who are enrolled in a STEM major are expected to be less oriented to social and communal goal orientations than women in non-STEM university programs. In a sample of 5857 second year university students of the German National Educational Panel Study three profiles of professional goal orientation were confirmed in a latent profile analysis. As expected, women were more oriented towards social aspects of occupations, whereas men more likely belonged to a profile with high importance for economic aspects of occupations. Moreover, students enrolled in STEM programs more likely belonged to the profile of economic goal orientation. There was, however, no interaction of gender and STEM program: Women in STEM fields did not differ in their occupational goal orientation from women enrolled in non-STEM programs. Based on these findings and on a goal congruity perspective, future interventions aiming at overcoming the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields should consider the individual meaning of work and the goals that are associated with STEM occupations.

Schlagwörter:Berufsorientierung; Deutschland; gender stereotypes; Geschlechterstereotyp; Geschlechterunterschied; goal orientation; latent profile analysis; MINT; quantitative Analyse; STEM; Wertorientierung

CEWS Kategorie:Studium und Studierende, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.0206...

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: This article is concerned with the source of men’s invisible advantage in the male dominated disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is suggested that this advantage has been obscured by combining sponsorship and mentoring. The research asks: Are men or women most likely to be mentored? Is it possible to distinguish between mentoring and sponsorship? Is there gender variation in either or both of these depending on the source – whether from the academic supervisor, line manager or other senior academics. This qualitative study draws on interview data from 106 respondents (57 men and 48 women) at junior, middle and senior levels, in four universities: one each in Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland and Turkey. It shows that both men and women received mentoring from their PhD supervisor, albeit with slightly different reported nuances. Men were more likely than women to receive sponsorship in that relationship. Both men and women received sponsorship from the Head of Department, whose wider responsibilities may have reduced homophily. Men were more likely than women to receive sponsorship and mentoring from senior men, with most women indicating a lack of access to such senior academics. By distinguishing between mentoring and sponsorship, this article contributes to our understanding of the way male dominance in STEM is perpetuated and suggests the source of men’s invisible advantage in STEM.

Schlagwörter:Bulgarien; Dänemark; Geschlechterunterschied; Irland; Mentoring; MINT; qualitative Analyse; sponsorship; STEM; Türkei; Wissenschaftskarriere

CEWS Kategorie:Europa und Internationales, Wissenschaft als Beruf, Naturwissenschaft und Technik, Geschlechterverhältnis

Verfügbarkeit:https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1686468

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz

Inhalt: Traditionally, engineering has been a male bastion throughout the world. However, during the past 15 to 20 years, the need for gender diversity has become increasingly understood by stakeholders. Against this background the study discusses the participation of women in engineering education and employment from across the world to uncover specific differences and similarities. Today, in almost all countries, various stakeholders are taking affirmative action to enhance participation. Yet not all actions are equally effective, and progress is sometimes much slower than might be expected. An array of various socioeconomic-political factors provides the reasons for such outcomes. The countries studied have been divided into four groups based on the impact of various socioeconomic factors on women’s participation across engineering. Example actions are discussed again for different levels of engineering—from students to practicing engineers. These, together with an understanding of what works, where and why, could be the start of a library of case studies that organisations such as the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES)[i] may share with those working to increase gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) around the world. Even though there is a paucity of research or data for some areas of the globe, particularly in the engineering workforce, one point that emerges from this paper is that, in order to enhance the effectiveness of affirmative programmes, socioeconomic-political factors must be taken into consideration.

Schlagwörter:affirmative action; Arbeitsmarkt; Best Practice; engineering education; engineers; Gleichstellungsmaßnahmen; impact assessment; Ingenieurwissenschaft; internationaler Vergleich; labour market; MINT; STEM; women

CEWS Kategorie:Gleichstellungspolitik, Naturwissenschaft und Technik

Verfügbarkeit:http://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/articl...

Dokumenttyp:Zeitschriftenaufsatz