Gender differences in the journal publication productivity of South African academic authors

Abstract

Today one of the most contentious issues within the emerging field of Science and Technology Studies in South Africa relates to the position and participation of women scientists in academia. This paper presents the results of a secondary analysis of data contained in a national database of journal publications and their authors. The objective is to describe the nature and extent of gender differences in journal publication productivity among South African academics during the period 1990–2001. The paper also makes a methodological contribution by highlighting issues and making recommendations for further analyses of South African bibliometric databases. The data show that, on average during the period studied, men published almost twice as many articles in accredited journals as women, and that gender differences in both extremes of publication productivity determined this gap. Possible explanations for the observed differences are put forward in the form of a summary of the most important theoretical explanations for gender differences in publication productivity. An assessment is made of their potential relevance in the South African context, in order to identify priorities for future research on the issue of gender differences in publication productivity among South African academics.