Gender and science: An analysis of brazilian postgraduation

Abstract

Gender issues are present in different work environments, including the academic world. This secondary data research aimed to compare, by gender, distribution and scientifi c output of Brazilian faculty who are active in stricto sensu postgraduation. A collection protocol was developed to capture data made available by the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, in the quadrennium 2013-2016 (n = 50.533, 57.5% men). The results indicate no difference in production by gender, but the following gender disparities in the researchers’ career were identifi ed: (i) female prevalence in the areas of Health, Humanities and Linguistics and Arts, and male prevalence in the Exact and Earth Sciences, Engineering and Agrarian Sciences; (ii) gender differences in favor of men in the earning of research productivity scholarships. We conclude that a reduction in gender disparities in science is expected over time, although there is still a male predominance in the scientific field.