Gender differences

Observations of assessment panels also demonstrate discrepancies in how applications from women and men are discussed. The family situation of a woman, whether she has children and issues such as parental leave are far more likely to be raised in discussions regarding an application than in the case of a man. Gender is generally mentioned and commented on more often during discussions of women’s applications, while the gender of the applicant is not a pronounced factor when the principal applicant is a man.

Another major difference between the genders is how collaboration and networking is assessed for women and men respectively. In women, collaboration tends to be assessed as a sign of weakness and a lack of independence, especially when collaborating with men, whom they are often interpreted as being dependent on.

“What is her role in all these papers? She’s on a strong team, so what is her role, actually?” (p. 26 Swedish Research Council 2012)

Observations also showed gender differences in the words used to describe applicants. Men were more often described as excellent and productive than women.

Men	Women
Family situation seldom mentioned	Family situation mentioned.
No comment regarding gender	The applicant’s gender is commented on
The applicant’s independence is seldom questioned	The applicant’s independence is questioned.
Often described as productive or excellent	Seldom described as productive or excellent

Class

It has also been demonstrated that social background or class may affect the assessment. A study shows how assessments are influenced by the language used in the application, rather than its content. This takes the form of descriptions of certain applications as “elegant”, a judgement referring to the applicant’s use of language more readily associated with the middle and upper classes.

References

Lamont, Michèle (2009). How professors think: Inside the curious world of academic judgment. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

VR (2012) Andersson, Johanna, Hahn Berg, Cecilia & Kolm Camilla (2012). Jämställdhetsobservationer i fyra beredningsgrupper 2011, Vetenskapsrådet 2012 Tillgänglig på: https://publikationer.vr.se/butik/?_sf_s=j%C3%A4mst%C3%A4lldhetsobservationer

VR (2013) Ahlqvist, Veronica, Andersson, Johanna, Berg, Söderqvist, Lisbeth & Tumpane, John (2012).Observations on Gender Equality in a Selection the Swedish Research Council's Evaluation Panels, Swedish Research Council 2012 Available at: https://publikationer.vr.se/butik/_sf_s=j%C3%A4mst%C3%A4lldhetsobservationer

VR (2015) Ahlqvist, Veronica, Andersson, Johanna, Berg, Söderqvist, Lisbeth & Tumpane, John (2015) En jämställd process – en kvalitativ undersökning av bedömningen av forskningsbidragsansökningar 2014. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet Tillgänglig på: https://www.vr.se/analys-och-uppdrag/vi-analyserar-och-utvarderar/alla-publikationer/publikationer/2015-04-03-en-jamstalld-process.html (Links to an external site.)

VR (2017) Söderqvist, Lisbeth, Baard, Patrik, Hellström, Anders, Kolm, Camilla (2017). En jämställd process – Jämställdhetsobservationer i Vetenskapsrådets bedömningsgrupper 2016. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet. Tillgänglig på: https://www.vr.se/download/18.2412c5311624176023d25a75/1555332044503/En-jaemstaelld-process-VRs-bedomningsgrupper_VR_2017.pdf

VR (2020) Söderqvist, Lisbeth, Ahlqvist, Veronica, Andersson, Johanna, Bergström, Maria, Johansson, Hanna Sofia, Svantesson, Monika, Österberg, Rickard (2020). En jämställd process
En kvalitativ undersökning av bedömningen av forskningsbidragsansökningar 2019. Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet. Tillgängligt på: https://www.vr.se/download/18.47291b121711f04ce6e1128/1587987500640/En%20j%C3%A4mst%C3%A4lld%20process_VR2020.pdf