It could take 118 years for women computer scientists to publish as much as men
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A new study published on arXiv suggests it could be 118 years before women computer scientists are annually publishing as many research papers as men.
The data represents a significant lag behind the biomedical sector, where women-led research is expected to be on par by 2050 if current trends continue.
For their study, a team at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle developed an algorithm that analyzed 2.87 million pieces of computer science literature published between 1970 and 2018. It also analyzed more than 11 million biomedical papers that appeared in the most-cited journals in the Medline database.
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Because some first names are used by both genders, the name of each author was run through a database called Gender API, which can determine gender by a first name, full name or email address.
Using that information, researchers concluded women we be publishing as many papers as men by 2137.
STUDY FINDS LESS COLLABORATION BETWEEN GENDERS
The study also identified a “decreasing rate” of collaboration between authors of different genders.
“We … observed lower than expected numbers of cross-gender collaborations, with the ratio of observed to expected decreasing over time,” the study reads.
“…We hope that these findings will motivate others in the field to … consider ways to improve the status quo.”
MEN STILL DOMINATE THE TECH SECTOR
In December 2018, an analysis of tech jobs in the U.S. suggested that women make up less than 20 percent of all tech jobs in the U.S., despite accounting for more than half of the country’s total workforce.
“Women now hold a lower share of computer science jobs than they did in the 1980s,” reads an excerpt from the report.
“The tech industry has expanded, but opportunities for women have shrunk.”
Thumbnail photo courtesy: Unsplash/ Christina @ WOC STEM. Graphic elements added by We Rep STEM.
