Women in Argentine Science, Technology, and Innovation system: a deceiving equality

Abstract

The gender gaps in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Research in Latin America and the Caribbean seem not to exist in terms of the number of female and male researchers. However, there is significant horizontal disaggregation, as well as other dimensions of inequality that have not been exhaustively quantified and investigated. To explore this the disparity in one country of the region, we analyzed gender differences in staff productivity in the Argentine Science, Technology, and Innovation system between 2011 and 2018, considering age, seniority level, as well as the number of patent applications and those granted. We found that, on average, men produce more papers than women in most age ranges. This productivity gap is observed after their 30s, a stage in which women carry out child-rearing and maternity activities. In most of the ranks that make up a research career, the gender gap is in favor of men, except for at the Senior Researcher level where the difference is reversed, suggesting that only female researchers with a very competitive profile reach higher ranks. The number of patent applications by men and those granted to them is double that of women. These differences show significant gender inequality in the workplace of the Argentine Science, Technology, and Innovation system. This information is fundamental and necessary to design and implement new evidence-based gender policies, as well as to redesign existing public policies.