Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement
Men continue to outperform women in obtaining funding through research grants globally, in both science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and social science, in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary fields. This article focuses on the role of research grant funding conditions in wome...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2022-12-01
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| Series: | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1281 |
| _version_ | 1828089301309587456 |
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| author | Anita Bosch Georgina Pondayi |
| author_facet | Anita Bosch Georgina Pondayi |
| author_sort | Anita Bosch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Men continue to outperform women in obtaining funding through research grants globally, in both science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and social science, in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary fields. This article focuses on the role of research grant funding conditions in women’s lack of research grant funding. Grant conditions are the rules of participation and funding use set out by grant funders. This study aimed to answer the question: how do grant conditions limit women’s propensity to engage with research grant applications? Research grants from the Open 4 Research database were analysed. Research careers with a reproductive life-cycle perspective and four feminist concepts were deliberately gendered. These resulted in a theoretical framework. A content analysis on n = 270 multidisciplinary early career grants for those who already have a PhD was conducted. Grants were selected from both the social science and STEM disciplines. The findings suggest that, overwhelmingly, grant conditions are gender-neutral, assuming no differences between women and men. A comparison between STEM and social science grant conditions also show very little difference. The article provides a framework to guide multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary grant funders in crafting deliberately gendered grant conditions.
Transdisciplinary contribution: A pre-application phase to the research grant application process by problematising gender neutrality in early-career researcher grant conditions is introduced. It is posited that grants’ gender neutrality is discouraging women to consider applying, resulting in self-exclusion early in the pre-application phase. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:36:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0de4a92c9dd745aeb8738028ae9ddf46 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1817-4434 2415-2005 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:36:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa |
| spelling | doaj.art-0de4a92c9dd745aeb8738028ae9ddf462022-12-22T10:29:20ZengAOSISThe Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa1817-44342415-20052022-12-01181e1e810.4102/td.v18i1.1281543Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagementAnita Bosch0Georgina Pondayi1Stellenbosch Business School, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownStellenbosch Business School, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownMen continue to outperform women in obtaining funding through research grants globally, in both science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and social science, in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary fields. This article focuses on the role of research grant funding conditions in women’s lack of research grant funding. Grant conditions are the rules of participation and funding use set out by grant funders. This study aimed to answer the question: how do grant conditions limit women’s propensity to engage with research grant applications? Research grants from the Open 4 Research database were analysed. Research careers with a reproductive life-cycle perspective and four feminist concepts were deliberately gendered. These resulted in a theoretical framework. A content analysis on n = 270 multidisciplinary early career grants for those who already have a PhD was conducted. Grants were selected from both the social science and STEM disciplines. The findings suggest that, overwhelmingly, grant conditions are gender-neutral, assuming no differences between women and men. A comparison between STEM and social science grant conditions also show very little difference. The article provides a framework to guide multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary grant funders in crafting deliberately gendered grant conditions. Transdisciplinary contribution: A pre-application phase to the research grant application process by problematising gender neutrality in early-career researcher grant conditions is introduced. It is posited that grants’ gender neutrality is discouraging women to consider applying, resulting in self-exclusion early in the pre-application phase.https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1281grant conditionsresearch grantsgendergrant applicationsresearch careersearly career researcherswomen researchers. |
| spellingShingle | Anita Bosch Georgina Pondayi Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa grant conditions research grants gender grant applications research careers early career researchers women researchers. |
| title | Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement |
| title_full | Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement |
| title_fullStr | Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement |
| title_short | Gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women’s application (dis)engagement |
| title_sort | gendered research grant conditions and their effect on women s application dis engagement |
| topic | grant conditions research grants gender grant applications research careers early career researchers women researchers. |
| url | https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/1281 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anitabosch genderedresearchgrantconditionsandtheireffectonwomensapplicationdisengagement AT georginapondayi genderedresearchgrantconditionsandtheireffectonwomensapplicationdisengagement |