INVESTIGATING THE GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE FIELD OF RESEARCH: A STUDY BASED ON EDITORIAL BOARDS OF JOURNALS FALLING IN ISI THOMSON REUTERS

Abstract

Purpose: This paper reviews the gender composition in the editorial boards of the journals falling in the ISI Thomson Reuters. The purpose of this research paper is to watch the gender diversity in the editorial boards and to explore the perception of gender biasness if any in the field of research Methodology/Sample : The study design is a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. The performance of either gender has been measured via quantitative technique such as Independent sample T Test, whereas, the probable presence of Gender biasness has been investigated via comparative study of qualitative methods. This study takes a sample of 200 journals falling in ISI Thomson Reuters. Findings: It has been concluded that there is Gender inequality in Editorial Journals despite the fact that gender does not have significant impact on the performance of the journals in terms of the total citations. The mean total citation of the male dominated editorial boards has been observed as equal to that of mean total citation of the female dominated editorial boards. Practical Implications: Any perception of gender in-equality may create a deplorable image in the research field. Therefore, it is essential to encourage the gender equality as well as gender equity in the field of Research.