The impact of gender diversity on junior versus senior biomedical scientists’ NIH research awards


Unearthing within-group inequality in science funding and careers highlights a new mechanism explaining the disadvantages faced by younger generations of women scientists.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

/* style specs start */
style{display:none!important}.LiveAreaSection-193358632 *{align-content:stretch;align-items:stretch;align-self:auto;animation-delay:0s;animation-direction:normal;animation-duration:0s;animation-fill-mode:none;animation-iteration-count:1;animation-name:none;animation-play-state:running;animation-timing-function:ease;azimuth:center;backface-visibility:visible;background-attachment:scroll;background-blend-mode:normal;background-clip:borderBox;background-color:transparent;background-image:none;background-origin:paddingBox;background-position:0 0;background-repeat:repeat;background-size:auto auto;block-size:auto;border-block-end-color:currentcolor;border-block-end-style:none;border-block-end-width:medium;border-block-start-color:currentcolor;border-block-start-style:none;border-block-start-width:medium;border-bottom-color:currentcolor;border-bottom-left-radius:0;border-bottom-right-radius:0;border-bottom-style:none;border-bottom-width:medium;border-collapse:separate;border-image-outset:0s;border-image-repeat:stretch;border-image-slice:100%;border-image-source:none;border-image-width:1;border-inline-end-color:currentcolor;border-inline-end-style:none;border-inline-end-width:medium;border-inline-start-color:currentcolor;border-inline-start-style:none;border-inline-start-width:medium;border-left-color:currentcolor;border-left-style:none;border-left-width:medium;border-right-color:currentcolor;border-right-style:none;border-right-width:medium;border-spacing:0;border-top-color:currentcolor;border-top-left-radius:0;border-top-right-radius:0;border-top-style:none;border-top-width:medium;bottom:auto;box-decoration-break:slice;box-shadow:none;box-sizing:border-box;break-after:auto;break-before:auto;break-inside:auto;caption-side:top;caret-color:auto;clear:none;clip:auto;clip-path:none;color:initial;column-count:auto;column-fill:balance;column-gap:normal;column-rule-color:currentcolor;column-rule-style:none;column-rule-width:medium;column-span:none;column-width:auto;content:normal;counter-increment:none;counter-reset:none;cursor:auto;display:inline;empty-cells:show;filter:none;flex-basis:auto;flex-direction:row;flex-grow:0;flex-shrink:1;flex-wrap:nowrap;float:none;font-family:initial;font-feature-settings:normal;font-kerning:auto;font-language-override:normal;font-size:medium;font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal;font-style:normal;font-synthesis:weight style;font-variant:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-position:normal;font-weight:400;grid-auto-columns:auto;grid-auto-flow:row;grid-auto-rows:auto;grid-column-end:auto;grid-column-gap:0;grid-column-start:auto;grid-row-end:auto;grid-row-gap:0;grid-row-start:auto;grid-template-areas:none;grid-template-columns:none;grid-template-rows:none;height:auto;hyphens:manual;image-orientation:0deg;image-rendering:auto;image-resolution:1dppx;ime-mode:auto;inline-size:auto;isolation:auto;justify-content:flexStart;left:auto;letter-spacing:normal;line-break:auto;line-height:normal;list-style-image:none;list-style-position:outside;list-style-type:disc;margin-block-end:0;margin-block-start:0;margin-bottom:0;margin-inline-end:0;margin-inline-start:0;margin-left:0;margin-right:0;margin-top:0;mask-clip:borderBox;mask-composite:add;mask-image:none;mask-mode:matchSource;mask-origin:borderBox;mask-position:0 0;mask-repeat:repeat;mask-size:auto;mask-type:luminance;max-height:none;max-width:none;min-block-size:0;min-height:0;min-inline-size:0;min-width:0;mix-blend-mode:normal;object-fit:fill;object-position:50% 50%;offset-block-end:auto;offset-block-start:auto;offset-inline-end:auto;offset-inline-start:auto;opacity:1;order:0;orphans:2;outline-color:initial;outline-offset:0;outline-style:none;outline-width:medium;overflow:visible;overflow-wrap:normal;overflow-x:visible;overflow-y:visible;padding-block-end:0;padding-block-start:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-inline-end:0;padding-inline-start:0;padding-left:0;padding-right:0;padding-top:0;page-break-after:auto;page-break-before:auto;page-break-inside:auto;perspective:none;perspective-origin:50% 50%;pointer-events:auto;position:static;quotes:initial;resize:none;right:auto;ruby-align:spaceAround;ruby-merge:separate;ruby-position:over;scroll-behavior:auto;scroll-snap-coordinate:none;scroll-snap-destination:0 0;scroll-snap-points-x:none;scroll-snap-points-y:none;scroll-snap-type:none;shape-image-threshold:0;shape-margin:0;shape-outside:none;tab-size:8;table-layout:auto;text-align:initial;text-align-last:auto;text-combine-upright:none;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;text-decoration-line:none;text-decoration-style:solid;text-emphasis-color:currentcolor;text-emphasis-position:over right;text-emphasis-style:none;text-indent:0;text-justify:auto;text-orientation:mixed;text-overflow:clip;text-rendering:auto;text-shadow:none;text-transform:none;text-underline-position:auto;top:auto;touch-action:auto;transform:none;transform-box:borderBox;transform-origin:50% 50%0;transform-style:flat;transition-delay:0s;transition-duration:0s;transition-property:all;transition-timing-function:ease;vertical-align:baseline;visibility:visible;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:auto;will-change:auto;word-break:normal;word-spacing:normal;word-wrap:normal;writing-mode:horizontalTb;z-index:auto;-webkit-appearance:none;-moz-appearance:none;-ms-appearance:none;appearance:none;margin:0}.LiveAreaSection-193358632{width:100%}.LiveAreaSection-193358632 .login-option-buybox{display:block;width:100%;font-size:17px;line-height:30px;color:#222;padding-top:30px;font-family:Harding,Palatino,serif}.LiveAreaSection-193358632 .additional-access-options{display:block;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;line-height:30px;color:#222;font-family:Harding,Palatino,serif}.LiveAreaSection-193358632 .additional-login>li:not(:first-child)::before{transform:translateY(-50%);content:””;height:1rem;position:absolute;top:50%;left:0;border-left:2px solid #999}.LiveAreaSection-193358632 .additional-login>li:not(:first-child){padding-left:10px}.LiveAreaSection-193358632 .additional-login>li{display:inline-block;position:relative;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:10px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;flex:1;flex-direction:row-reverse;margin:-30px -15px 0}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .box-inner{width:100%;height:100%;padding:30px 5px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:space-between}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 p{margin:0}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .readcube-buybox{background-color:#f3f3f3;flex-shrink:1;flex-grow:1;flex-basis:255px;background-clip:content-box;padding:0 15px;margin-top:30px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .subscribe-buybox{background-color:#f3f3f3;flex-shrink:1;flex-grow:4;flex-basis:300px;background-clip:content-box;padding:0 15px;margin-top:30px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .subscribe-buybox-nature-plus{background-color:#f3f3f3;flex-shrink:1;flex-grow:4;flex-basis:100%;background-clip:content-box;padding:0 15px;margin-top:30px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .title-readcube,.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .title-buybox{display:block;margin:0;margin-right:10%;margin-left:10%;font-size:24px;line-height:32px;color:#222;text-align:center;font-family:Harding,Palatino,serif}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .title-asia-buybox{display:block;margin:0;margin-right:5%;margin-left:5%;font-size:24px;line-height:32px;color:#222;text-align:center;font-family:Harding,Palatino,serif}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .asia-link{color:#069;cursor:pointer;text-decoration:none;font-size:1.05em;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:1.05em6}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .access-readcube{display:block;margin:0;margin-right:10%;margin-left:10%;font-size:14px;color:#222;padding-top:10px;text-align:center;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:20px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 ul{margin:0}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .link-usp{display:list-item;margin:0;margin-left:20px;padding-top:6px;list-style-position:inside}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .link-usp span{font-size:14px;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:20px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .access-asia-buybox{display:block;margin:0;margin-right:5%;margin-left:5%;font-size:14px;color:#222;padding-top:10px;text-align:center;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:20px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .access-buybox{display:block;margin:0;margin-right:10%;margin-left:10%;font-size:14px;color:#222;opacity:.8px;padding-top:10px;text-align:center;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:20px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .price-buybox{display:block;font-size:30px;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;padding-top:30px;text-align:center}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .price-buybox-to{display:block;font-size:30px;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;text-align:center}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .price-info-text{font-size:16px;padding-right:10px;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .price-value{font-size:30px;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .price-per-period{font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .price-from{font-size:14px;padding-right:10px;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:20px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .issue-buybox{display:block;font-size:13px;text-align:center;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:19px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .no-price-buybox{display:block;font-size:13px;line-height:18px;text-align:center;padding-right:10%;padding-left:10%;padding-bottom:20px;padding-top:30px;color:#222;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .vat-buybox{display:block;margin-top:5px;margin-right:20%;margin-left:20%;font-size:11px;color:#222;padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:15px;text-align:center;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:17px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .tax-buybox{display:block;width:100%;color:#222;padding:20px 16px;text-align:center;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;line-height:NaNpx}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .button-container{display:flex;padding-right:20px;padding-left:20px;justify-content:center}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .button-container>*{flex:1px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .button-container>a:hover,.Button-505204839:hover,.Button-1078489254:hover,.Button-2737859108:hover{text-decoration:none}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .btn-secondary{background:#fff}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .button-asia{background:#069;border:1px solid #069;border-radius:0;cursor:pointer;display:block;padding:9px;outline:0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;min-width:80px;margin-top:75px}.BuyBoxSection-683559780 .button-label-asia,.ButtonLabel-3869432492,.ButtonLabel-3296148077,.ButtonLabel-1636778223{display:block;color:#fff;font-size:17px;line-height:20px;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,”Segoe UI”,Roboto,Oxygen-Sans,Ubuntu,Cantarell,”Helvetica Neue”,sans-serif;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;cursor:pointer}.Button-505204839,.Button-1078489254,.Button-2737859108{background:#069;border:1px solid #069;border-radius:0;cursor:pointer;display:block;padding:9px;outline:0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;min-width:80px;max-width:320px;margin-top:20px}.Button-505204839 .btn-secondary-label,.Button-1078489254 .btn-secondary-label,.Button-2737859108 .btn-secondary-label{color:#069}
/* style specs end */

Buy this article

Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The upward trends of the share of women among all doctorates awarded in the life sciences from 1985 to 2020.
Fig. 2: Gender difference in the predicted probability of holding a tenured position.
Fig. 3: Marginal effects of gender diversification on scientists’ amount of grant funding and likelihood of being funded.

References

  1. Koning, R., Samila, S. & Ferguson, J. P. Science 372, 1345–1348 (2021).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  2. Yang, Y., Tian, T. Y., Woodruff, T. K., Jones, B. F. & Uzzi, B. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 119, e2200841119 (2022).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  3. Teichmann, S. A., Haniffa, M. & Fisher, J. Nat. Commun. 13, 4068 (2022).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ley, T. J. & Hamilton, B. H. Science 322, 1472–1474 (2008).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  5. Marsh, H. W. et al. Rev. Educ. Res. 79, 1290–1326 (2009).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  6. Pohlhaus, J. R., Jiang, H., Wagner, R. M., Schaffer, W. T. & Pinn, V. W. Acad. Med. 86, 759–767 (2011).

    Article 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  7. Sandström, U. & Hällsten, M. Scientometrics 74, 175–189 (2008).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  8. Bol, T., de Vaan, M. & van de Rijt, A. Res. Policy 51, 104399 (2022).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  9. Witteman, H. O., Hendricks, M., Straus, S. & Tannenbaum, C. Lancet 393, 531–540 (2019).

    Article 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hechtman, L. A. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115, 7943–7948 (2018).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  11. National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/home (accessed 13 March 2022).

  12. Ding, W. W., Ohyama, A. & Agarwal, R. Nat. Biotechnol. 39, 1019–1024 (2021).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  13. Alberts, B., Kirschner, M. W., Tilghman, S. & Varmus, H. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 111, 5773–5777 (2014).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  14. Blau, D. M. & Weinberg, B. A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 114, 3879–3884 (2017).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  15. Levitt, M. & Levitt, J. M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 114, 6498–6503 (2017).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  16. Stephan, P. E. & Levin, S. G. Striking the Mother Lode in Science: The Importance of Age, Place, and Time (Oxford Univ. Press, 1992).

  17. Daniels, R. J. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 112, 313–318 (2015).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  18. Merton, R. K. Science 159, 56–63 (1968).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  19. Cole, J. R. & Cole, S. Am. J. Phys. 42, 923–924 (1974).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  20. Allison, P. D. & Stewart, J. A. Am. Sociol. Rev. 39, 596–606 (1974).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  21. Allison, P. D., Long, J. S. & Krauze, T. K. Am. Sociol. Rev. 47, 615–625 (1982).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  22. DiPrete, T. A. & Eirich, G. M. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 32, 271–297 (2006).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  23. Bol, T., de Vaan, M. & van de Rijt, A. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115, 4887–4890 (2018).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  24. Kanter, R. M. in The Gender Gap in Psychotherapy (eds Rieker, P. P. & Carmen, E. H.) 53–78 (Springer, 1977).

  25. Blickenstaff, J. C. Gend. Educ. 17, 369–386 (2005).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  26. Leahey, E., Beckman, C. M. & Stanko, T. L. Adm. Sci. Q. 61, 105–139 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Milojević, S., Radicchi, F. & Walsh, J. P. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115, 12616–12623 (2018).

    Article 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  28. Freeman, R., Weinstein, E., Marincola, E., Rosenbaum, J. & Solomon, F. Science 294, 2293–2294 (2001).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 

    Google Scholar 

  29. Long, S. & Fox, M. F. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 21, 45–71 (1995).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  30. Sheltzer, J. M. & Smith, J. C. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 111, 10107–10112 (2014).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  31. Torvik, V. I. & Smalheiser, N. R. ACM Trans. Knowl. Discov. Data 3, 1–29 (2009).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  32. Foster, J. G., Rzhetsky, A. & Evans, J. A. Am. Sociol. Rev. 80, 875–908 (2015).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  33. Mohnen, M. Manage. Sci. 68, 2513–2532 (2022).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  34. Levin, S. G. & Stephan, P. E. Sex Roles 38, 1049–1064 (1998).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  35. Ceci, S. J. et al. Psychol. Sci. Publ. Int. 15, 75–140 (2014).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  36. Li, D. Am. Econ. J. Appl. Econ. 9, 60–92 (2017).

    Article 

    Google Scholar 

  37. Kozlowski, D., Larivière, V., Sugimoto, C. R. & Monroe-White, T. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 119, e2113067119 (2022).

    Article 
    CAS 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

  38. Santamaría, L. & Mihaljević, H. PeerJ Comput. Sci. 4, e156 (2018).

    Article 
    PubMed 
    PubMed Central 

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank conference participants at the Academy of Management and Asian Innovation and Entrepreneurship Seminar for their comments and feedback.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

This work was conducted collaboratively by all authors. C.C.L. and W.W.D. wrote and edited the paper. B.Y. and A.S.B. collected and analyzed data and participated in the writing of the paper.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to
Christopher C. Liu or Waverly W. Ding.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Extended data

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Fig. 1 and Supplementary Tables 1–8

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liu, C.C., Yalcinkaya, B., Back, A.S. et al. The impact of gender diversity on junior versus senior biomedical scientists’ NIH research awards.
Nat Biotechnol 42, 815–819 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02234-y

Download citation

  • Published: 17 May 2024

  • Issue Date: May 2024

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02234-y


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *