Research Finds No Gender Bias in Academic Science

April 27, 2023

Inside Higher Ed recently published an article featuring Shulamit Kahn, Professor of Markets, Public Policy, and Law on the ideas surrounding gender bias in academic science.

There has been a collective knowledge in academic literature that women have less opportunities than men when applying to jobs, receiving grants, and recommendation letters, however research found this isn’t always the case. Because of this shared knowledge, women are discouraged from selecting careers in academic fields in fear of rejection. Kahn, along with her colleagues reviewed years’ worth of studies about these disparities in the field and the barriers women encounter.

Professor Kahn adds that, “This emphasis on looking exclusively for gender bias in all aspects of science academia is actually doing a disservice to women and to science, perpetuating myths that the weight of the evidence doesn’t support.”

Researchers argue that the job landscape is becoming equal, as men and women compete for jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math, but there should be a focus on why men and women’s career paths develop differently.