The big data research analyzed publishing trends in health sciences from more than 600 institutions in 80 countries. It found that when women scientists gain digital access to scientific journals, they publish more, especially in countries where gender inequality in education is highest.
Without access to current research, women are often at a disadvantage compared to their male colleagues, as they are tend to be less well-resourced, less well-networked, and more marginalized in academia. With digital access, however, they can use state-of-the-art knowledge to prepare stronger funding proposal and connect with potential research collaborators worldwide - tools that are essential for publishing in scientific journals. The findings show that access to knowledge directly helps women excel and become more visible in research.
“Better access to knowledge empowers women scientists to gradually improve their own career prospects by producing more and higher quality research, in particular in less and least developed countries” said Alexander Cuntz, Head of the Creative Economy Section at WIPO, who co-authored the study with Alessio Muscarnera, Research Fellow, and Julio Raffo, Head of Innovation Economy Section, in WIPO’s Department for Economics and Data Analytics.
The research builds on earlier findings showing that Research4Life boosts overall research output in participating institutions. It also highlights the need for continued investment in digital infrastructure and training to ensure inclusive access across the academic world.
For WIPO, these findings underline the role of knowledge access and digitization in building more inclusive innovation ecosystems. Reducing gender gaps in research contributes directly to WIPO’s vision of ensuring that the benefits of innovation and intellectual property are shared widely, enabling diverse voices to shape the global knowledge economy.
Read the full study entitled “Digital Access to Knowledge and Women in Science”.
About Research4Life
Research4Life is a public–private partnership that provides institutions in low- and middle-income countries with free or low-cost online access to peer-reviewed scientific and professional content. Co-led by WIPO and partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Labour Organization (ILO) and academic publishers, the initiative includes five programs covering health, agriculture, environment, applied science and legal information. Since its launch in 2002, Research4Life has supported thousands of institutions in over 125 countries to bridge the global knowledge gap.