Gender inequalities in science have long been observed globally. Studies have demonstrated it through survey data or published literature, focusing on the interests of subjects or authors; few, however, examined the manifestation of gender inequalities on researchers' knowledge status. This study analyzes the relationship between regional and gender identities, topics, and knowledge status while revealing the female labor division in science and scientific research using online Q&A from researchers. We find that gender inequalities are merged with both regional-specific characteristics and global common patterns. Women's field and topic distribution within fields are influenced by regions, yet the prevalent topics are consistent in all regions. Women are more involved in specific topics, particularly topics about experiments with weaker levels of knowledge and they are of less assistance. To promote inequality in science, the scientific community should pay more attention to reducing the knowledge gap and encourage women to work on unexplored topics and areas.
翻译:科学领域的性别不平等现象长期以来在全球范围内均有观察到。已有研究通过调查数据或发表文献,聚焦于研究对象或作者的偏好来论证这一现象,但鲜有研究探讨性别不平等在研究人员知识状态上的具体表现。本研究利用研究人员的在线问答数据,分析了区域与性别身份、研究主题及知识状态之间的关系,并揭示了女性在科学及科研中的劳动分工。我们发现,性别不平等既具有区域特异性,也呈现全球共性模式。女性所属的学科领域及其在学科内的主题分布受区域影响,但各区域普遍关注的主题仍保持一致。女性更常参与特定主题,尤其是实验类主题,且知识水平相对较低,可提供的帮助也更有限。为促进科学领域的平等,科研界应更重视缩小知识差距,并鼓励女性探索未充分开发的课题与领域。