Gender (In)equality in Research and Science

This insightful book provides a comparative and multidimensional exploration of gender inequalities in science and research across Europe. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods and comparing five European countries and seven types of research organisations, it examines how gender regimes, organisational cultures and policies and neoliberal logics shape careers, experiences and science.

Leading authors in the field analyse precarity, the glass ceiling, definitions of excellence, work-life balance, the passion trap and the impact of ‘publish or perish’ cultures, revealing how gendered expectations and practices intersect with structural and cultural barriers. Drawing on the Horizon Europe project MINDtheGEPs, the book highlights key areas of cultural and structural resistance and innovation that challenge the ‘fix the women’ approach and promote systemic change. Chapters link macro, meso and micro levels of analysis within a gender-as-social-structure framework, underscoring the importance of feminist approaches in understanding and addressing inequalities and in redefining science as a collective, inclusive and ethical enterprise. The book ultimately advocates for gender-aware institutional transformation that fosters both equality and excellence.

Gender (In)equality in Research and Science is prime reading for scholars and students of gender studies, sociology, political science, and social policy. It is also relevant to higher education leaders, equality officers and policymakers for its concrete tools for transforming organisational gendered cultures and implementing and monitoring gender equality plans.