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Ph.D. research output in STEM: the role of gender and race in supervision

Author

Listed:
  • Rossello, Giulia

    (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University)

  • Cowan, Robin

    (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University, BETA, Universite de Strasbourg, IUF Descartes, and CREST, Stellenbosch University.)

  • Mairesse, Jacques

    (UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University, CREST-ENSAE, and NBER)

Abstract

We study whether student-advisor gender and race couples matter for publication productivity of Ph.D. students in South Africa. We consider the sample of all Ph.D.s in STEM graduating between 2000 and 2014, after the recent systematic introduction of doctoral programs in this country. We investigate the joint effects of gender and race for the whole sample and looking separately at the sub-samples of (1) whitewhite; (2) black-black; and (3) black-white student-advisor couples. We find early career productivity differences: while female students publish on average 10% to 20% fewer articles than males, this is true mainly for female students working with a male advisor, not for those working with a female one. These disparities are similar, though more pronounced, when looking at the joint effects of gender and race for the white-white and black-black student-advisor pairs. We also explore whether publication productivity differences change significantly for students with a high, medium, or low 'productivity-profile', and find that they are U-shaped. Female students with a high (or low) 'productivity-profile' studying with female advisors are as productive than male students with a high (or low) 'productivity-profile' studying with male advisors.

Suggested Citation

  • Rossello, Giulia & Cowan, Robin & Mairesse, Jacques, 2020. "Ph.D. research output in STEM: the role of gender and race in supervision," MERIT Working Papers 2020-021, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2020021
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rossello, Giulia & Martinelli, Arianna, 2023. "Breach of academic values and digital deviant behaviour: The case of Sci-Hub," MERIT Working Papers 2023-009, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    2. Corsini, Alberto & Pezzoni, Michele & Visentin, Fabiana, 2022. "What makes a productive Ph.D. student?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender and race; Student Advisor; South Africa; Doctoral research; research productivity; Role models;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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