Assessing Gender Bias in Particle Physics and Social Science Recommendations for Academic Jobs

Bernstein, Robert H.; Macy, Michael W.; Williams, Wendy M.; Cameron, Christopher J.; Williams-Ceci, Sterling Chance; Ceci, Stephen J.

doi:10.3390/socsci11020074

Title: Assessing Gender Bias in Particle Physics and Social Science Recommendations for Academic Jobs

Journal Article · 14 February 2022 · Social sciences

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11020074 · OSTI ID:1842743

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Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

We investigated gender bias in letters of recommendation as a possible cause of the under-representation of women in Experimental Particle Physics (EPP), where about 15% of faculty are female-well below the 60% level in psychology and sociology. We analyzed 2206 letters in EPP and these two social sciences using standard lexical measures as well as two new measures: author status and an open-ended search for gendered language. In contrast to former studies, women were not depicted as more communal, less agentic, or less standout. Lexical measures revealed few gender differences in either discipline. The open-ended analysis revealed disparities favoring women in social science and men in EPP. However, female EPP candidates were characterized as “brilliant” in nearly three times as many letters as were men.

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Research Organization:: Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-07CH11359

OSTI ID:: 1842743

Report Number(s):: FERMILAB-PUB--21-727-PPD; oai:inspirehep.net:1991846

Journal Information:: Social sciences, Journal Name: Social sciences Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 11; ISSN 2076-0760

Publisher:: MDPICopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
gender bias in science
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underrepresentation of women

Title: Assessing Gender Bias in Particle Physics and Social Science Recommendations for Academic Jobs

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