Gender Gaps in Scientific Research: A Systematic Review

Background: Gender gaps present in scientific and academic research field generate discrimination and lack of equitable opportunities for women, resulting in various barriers that significantly limit women's scientific productivity. The objective of this research was to identify the main gender gaps in productivity and scientific research addressed in research articles.

Method: A search for published manuscripts associated with gender gaps in women's scientific production was conducted through a systematic review of articles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese in the SCOPUS and REDALYC repositories. The inclusion criteria were articles that had social responsibility as a premise and focused within the Peruvian context. The exclusion criteria were empirical studies and systematic reviews addressing gender gaps in scientific research, studies published in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, studies investigating gender discrimination, women's representation in science, obstacles and challenges faced by women in scientific research, policies and practices addressing gender gaps, among other relevant aspects. The exclusion criteria also included studies that did not specifically address gender gaps in scientific research, studies solely focused on specific scientific disciplines without addressing the gender issue, and studies that were not accessible in full text. The article search and filtering were conducted between May and June 2023. Methods used to present the results and prevent biases involved filtering; starting with the search of titles according to the search equation, then filtering and eliminating all articles that did not address Gender Gaps in scientific production. Subsequently, all abstracts of the articles were read, and those not meeting the inclusion criteria were discarded. Finally, all remaining research was read to analyze the necessary information for the study.

Results: A total of 23 articles were analyzed, which addressed topics such as discrimination, lack of supportive policies for women, academic inequalities, and other factors making women's participation in scientific research writing, production, and publication much more challenging for them than for male counterparts.

Conclusion: The main results revealed various gender gaps that directly influence women's scientific production worldwide. It was acknowledged that a limitation of much of the found literature only emphasized the low scientific production by women without delving into the reasons behind these gaps. If mentioned, it was only briefly touched upon. For future research on this topic, it is essential not only to investigate why there is a difference between male and female production but also to explore the limitations that women face daily in the field of research and article production.