Research Making the News

Academics Face Bias for Doing ‘Feminine’ Research

For more than a decade, women have earned more doctoral degrees than men in the United States. Despite that, women less often get tenure, get published, and reach leadership positions in academia than men do. A new study by a team of researchers at Stanford Graduate School of Education finds a widespread implicit bias against academic work that simply seems feminine—even if it’s not about women or gender specifically. The problem was a more subtle bias against topics and research designs that were “feminized,” meaning they were more associated with traditions of women’s work. Scholars whose dissertation abstracts had words like parenting or relationship, for example, had slimmer career prospects than people who used words like efficiency or war.

Citing: Gendered Knowledge in Fields and Academic Careers by Lanu Kim et a. at Science Direct (January 2022) 

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Early Access to Gender-Affirming Hormones Linked to Better Mental Health, Study Finds 

Access to gender-affirming hormone therapy in adolescence is associated with better mental health outcomes for transgender adults, according to a new study. The research was based on data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, which surveyed more than 27,000 trans people across the country. It compared the psychological distress and suicidal thoughts experienced by trans adults who had access to gender-affirming hormones during early adolescence, late adolescence, or adulthood to the distress and suicidal thoughts experienced by trans adults who desired hormones but never had access to them. 

Citing: Access to Gender-affirming Hormones During Adolescence and Mental Health Outcomes Among Transgender Adults by Jack Turban et al. at Plos One (January 12, 2022) 

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Men Are More Likely to Respond Negatively to Gender Threats in the Workplace Than Women, Research Finds 

When male workers believe their gender status is threatened, they are more likely than their female counterparts to engage in deviant behavior such as lying, cheating or stealing in the workplace, new research suggests. They also become less helpful to co-workers and less willing to collaborate on organizational initiatives, said Oregon State University’s Keith Leavitt, lead author of the paper that was just published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. The findings shed light on the consequences of perceived gender threats at a time when traditional masculinity has become a heated topic of political and cultural debate. 

Citing: Fragile or Robust? Differential Effects of Gender Threats in the Workplace Among Men and Women by Kevin Leavitt et al. at Science Direct (January 2022) 

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Study Examines Diversity in Research Publishing 

Science is often seen as a meritocracy, where the best work rises to the top along with the researchers who shepherd those advances. A new study tests that premise at the intersection of race and gender and finds cracks in that façade. According to the study’s bibliometric analysis of more than 5 million articles published between 2008 and 2019 — primarily by U.S.-based researchers — white and Asian male authors exert an outsized influence on the selection of research topics, publish on the broadest range of issues, and are more often listed as first authors. On the other hand, Black, Latino, and women authors are underrepresented in many STEM fields and often appear as authors only in less-cited fields. 

Citing: Intersectional Inequalities in Science by Diego Kozlowski et al. at PNAS (January 11, 2022) 

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Women Denied Abortion See Significant Financial Distress, Study Says 

A peer-reviewed study recently accepted for publication offers what its authors say is the “first causal evidence” indicating that abortion denials due to gestational limits – such as the 15-week limit approved in Mississippi and recently debated before the Supreme Court – often lead to significant financial distress for women who are unable to obtain an abortion because of such restrictions. The study showed that women denied an abortion for exceeding a gestational limit experienced an almost 80% surge in past-due debt after the denial, and a roughly equivalent increase in negative public records on their credit report. This elevated “financial distress” persisted in the five years following the abortion turnaway, researchers said. 

Citing: The Economic Consequences of Being Denied an Abortion by Sarah Miller, Laura R. Wherry, and Diana Greene Foster at American Economic Journal (Forthcoming) 

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New Research Reports

For Young Mothers during COVID, Employment Does Not Equal Security 

Institute for Women's Policy Research | Shengwei Sun | January 25, 2022 

The COVID-19 crisis exacerbated many pre-existing inequalities, but we know little about how young mothers—especially those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged—have fared during the pandemic-fueled downturn and ongoing recovery. In June 2021, IWPR surveyed 1,421 women aged 18 to 34 to capture their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and early recovery period. Of these respondents, 560 women reported living with their own children younger than 13 in the household. This brief provides a snapshot of young mothers’ economic conditions, paying special attention to the experiences of young Black and single mothers, as the economy started to slowly recover. 

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Support for Paid Family Leave Among Small Employers Increases during the COVID-19 Pandemic 

Washington Center for Equitable Growth | Ann Bartel et al. | January 14, 2022 

The United States is one of the few countries that does not guarantee paid family leave (PFL) to workers. Proposals for PFL legislation are often met with opposition from employer organizations, who fear disruptions to business, especially among small employers. But there has been limited data on employers’ views. This study surveyed firms with 10-99 employees in New York and New Jersey on their attitudes towards PFL programs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers uncovered high support for state PFL programs in 2019 that rose substantially over the course of the pandemic. Thus, concerns about negative impacts on small employers should not impede efforts to expand PFL at the state or federal levels. 

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Understanding Coping Strategies of Mothers with Low Income 

Urban Institute | Theresa Anderson, Mary Bogle, Julia Payne, and Peter Willenborg | January 12, 2022 

Mothers with few economic resources must cope with the ongoing stress of making ends meet while addressing their children’s needs. This exploratory study sought to improve understanding of how women in the United States meet their economic, personal, and social goals and focused on gender equity. Researchers documented the active strategies that mothers with young children and few economic resources use to meet their needs. The study also explored the role of community-based organizations in supporting these mothers and families. Insights from this analysis inform recommendations for how supporting organizations can in turn help mothers apply active coping to their caregiving responsibilities, ultimately improving outcomes for their children. 

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The Impact of School and Childcare Closures on Labor Market Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic 

NBER | Kairon Shayne D. Garcia and Benjamin W. Cowan | January 2022 

A substantial fraction of schools and childcare facilities in the United States closed their in-person operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. These closures may carry substantial costs to the families of affected children. This paper examines the impact of school and childcare closures on parental labor market outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results suggest that while closures have had little impact on whether parents work at all, they have had significant effects on whether parents work full time (at least 35 hours) and the number of hours worked per week. These effects are concentrated among low-educated parents, suggesting that such individuals had a more difficult time adjusting their work life to closures. 

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Schools, Job Flexibility, and Married Women's Labor Supply: Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic 

NBER | Benjamin Hansen, Joseph J. Sabia, and Jessamyn Schaller | January 2022 

This study explores the effect of school re-openings during the COVID-19 pandemic on married women's labor supply. Researchers proxy for in-person attendance at US K-12 schools using smartphone data from Safegraph and measure female employment, hours, and remote work using the Current Population Survey. Difference-in-differences estimates show that K-12 re-openings are associated with significant increases in employment and hours among married women with school-aged children, with no measurable effects on labor supply in comparison groups. Employment effects of school re-openings are concentrated among mothers of older school-aged children, while remote work may mitigate effects for mothers of younger children. 

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Gender-Inclusive Legislative Framework and Laws to Strengthen Women’s Resilience to Climate Change and Disasters 

Asian Development Bank | Malika Shagazatova, Zonibel Woods, Alih Faisal Pimentel Abdul, and Ma. Celia A. Guzon | December 2021 

Globally, women are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disasters due to gender inequalities and limited opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. The report provides a conceptual framework and good practice guide to improve gender equality in this space based on international norms and examples of national laws. It also demonstrates how gender-responsive laws and policies can contribute to women’s resilience to climate change and disasters. The report was developed for the use of governments, policymakers, organizations, and individuals engaged in gender-responsive legislative reforms. 

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