Gender inequalities by field of knowledge in Brazilian science: an overview of the PQ/CNPq female researchers

Abstract

The number of women researchers has grown worldwide. However, gender inequalities persist in four aspects: women still represent a minority share in world science; they are concentrated in certain areas of knowledge; they predominate in early career levels and are underrepresented in deliberative positions of science and technology policy. At CNPq, despite the increase in women Research Productivity Scholars (PQ) in recent decades, the asymmetries remain. This study aims to discuss the asymmetries of gender and race in different areas of knowledge, particularly in Psychology, taking as an analyzer the distribution of grants (PQ) of CNPq. Data made available by CNPq and collected through SurveyMonkey were used. Gender inequalities in science persist in the Brazilian scientific system: women are a minority among the PQ/CNPq fellows, are concentrated in disciplinary ghettos and face difficulties both to access the PQ system and to reach the most prestigious scientific fellowships. In Psychology, despite their presence in all the scholarship modalities, they occupy proportionally fewer positions at the top of the career. In addition, there is the invisibility of black and indigenous women who have their roots in the modern colonial project.