Work by female scientists gets judged more harshly

[eridani]

http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Woman/News/Work-by-female-scientists-gets-judged-more-harshly-20130422

Gender plays a role in how researchers perceive the work of other scientists, according to a new study.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that scientific studies written by men were viewed as higher quality than identical studies listing female authors. This gender bias, they noted, is significant and will have important implications over the course of a woman's career in science.

"In grant proposals, promotion and tenure reviews, hiring decisions and so on, a scholar's sex will be a relevant factor in how she or he is evaluated," study lead author Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, associate professor of communication at The Ohio State University, said in a university news release. "All of these small factors will add up over the course of a career and may prevent some women from reaching the same career heights as men."

The study was published online recently in the journal Science Communication

In conducting the study, the researchers asked nearly 250 graduate students in communication from universities around the United States to read and evaluate 15 short summaries, or abstracts, of studies presented at an academic conference. Some of the studies listed two male authors, while others listed two female authors.

The researchers also rotated the authors listed on the studies. As a result, some participants thought certain studies were authored by men, while others thought they were written by women.

[timdog44]

1. As a man,

I find this just plain wrong. In my experience, women seem to be more intelligent, and if not actually more intelligent, at the very least more diligent. In almost any worthwhile endeavor I have found that women are better. If that is sexist, sorry.

It is like when I vote. If it is where I don't actually know or have researched the candidates, I always will vote for the woman for these very reasons. I know there is always a chance that there will be a bat shit crazy, but not as big a chance as a bat shit crazy man.

[RILib]

2. either direction bias is wrong.

[timdog44]

3. I know in my brain

that you are correct.

In my gut and heart, I still find that women have a plus side that men do not have.

[TxDemChem]

4. Sadly, this is so true

It is very discouraging for us.

[kelliekat44]

5. Tell me more! Not only judged more harshly but plagiarized as well.

All over academia and the Federal research institutions. Been that way for ever. It's and ol'e boys network that even NIH can't break. Of course, if you are spouse of a well-known-well-funded researcher, you will be judged more leniently and funded as well.

[SamReynolds]

6. Lemme guess... this study was authored by women?

Lol! Seriously though, I can see this being the case as men have, from the beginning of time, been treated as the guardians and problem-solvers of all things in the real world. There's a reason the phrase "You're the man of the house now" has so much implied import. As more and more women come up to speed in the hard sciences, we'll see that quaint and archaic notion for what it is.

[siligut]

7. The source of information has always been a factor in its acceptance

One would hope that scientists would be completely objective, and I am sure those in some disciplines are. But the prejudice against female intelligence and success runs deep and science has been dominated by males for as long as history has been recorded.

[goldent]

8. I was surprised by this

Women involved in the study did not differ from male participants in how they perceived the summaries.

You'd think there would have to be some difference - unfortunately there is no quantitative data in the article.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. Seems to me I've seen this complaint pop up with...

alarming regularity over the years.

That's not to trivialize the point, but evidence that even with more women in these fields they still don't get no respect.