Majority of Australian early career researchers now women

Women now outnumber men among early career researchers in Australian universities, according to figures.

Statistics from the League of Scholars, a data analytics firm that focuses on research talent, show that 53 per cent of researchers who are less than 10 years into their career are female, The Australian reported.

In comparison, 43 per cent of all Australian university researchers are women, according to the figures, which are based on an analysis of publications in research journals.

The company also ranked researchers using an impact algorithm that takes into account the quality of the journals that they publish in, the quality of the researchers who cite their work and their industry links.

It found that while women make up only one-quarter of the top 10 per cent of Australian researchers, this female share rises to 42 per cent when only early career researchers are counted.

The League of Scholars added that 23 Australian universities have more female researchers than male, but women are still in a minority overall owing to a bias towards male researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, which dominate research-intensive universities.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com