Scientific studies of expert reviews and letters of recommendation regarding professorial and other academic appointments show systematic discrepancies in descriptions of the scientific output of men and women respectively.

Men who confine their research to one specialised field are more often described as having in-depth knowledge, while women are more often described as having a narrow field of research. Where a researcher has published in several fields or utilised various methods, the tendency is to describe men and their research as broad, while women and their research are more often described as shallow or disparate. Discrepancies in descriptions of men’s and women’s research accomplishments is found in a number of areas. Excellence, genius and a pioneering spirit are much more likely to be ascribed to men, while women are more likely to be described as ambitious, meticulous and tenacious.

Another area in which studies demonstrate discrepancies between how women and men are assessed is collaboration, where men are more often described as having strong networks and women as lacking independence. Their contributions to collaborations are also more likely to be called into question.

There are also studies showing that expert reviews regarding male applications are generally longer and place greater emphasis on professional performance, while the private lives of women are more likely to be mentioned.

Discrepancies in how women’s and men’s scientific work is described lead to discrepancies in assessment. One consequence is that men’s research output is more often viewed as the result of their abilities, talent and excellence, while women’s research output is more likely to be seen as a result of hard work, ambition, thoroughness and persistence.

Discrepancies in descriptions in expert reviews and letters of recommendation

Men	Women
In-depth knowledge	Narrow field of research
Broad	Shallow
Excellence, genius	Ambitious, meticulous, tenacious
Pioneering spirit	Peripheral
Strong network	Lacking independence

References

Fürst, Elisabeth (1988): Kvinner i Akademia – inntrengere i en mannskultur? Oslo: NAVFs sekretariat for kvinneforskning.

Gemzöe, Lena (2010). Kollegial bedömning av vetenskaplig kvalitet. En forskningsöversikt. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet. Tillgänglig på: https://www.vr.se/analys-och-uppdrag/vi-analyserar-och-utvarderar/alla-publikationer/publikationer/2010-04-05-kollegial-bedomning-av-vetenskaplig-kvalitet.html (Links to an external site.)

Trix, Frances & Psenka, Carolyn (2003) Exploring the color of glass: letters of recommendation for female and male medical faculty Discourse & Society Vol 14(2): 191–220