The role of diversity in science: a case study of women advancing female birdsong research

Abstract

Researchers of different genders and backgrounds contribute greatly to the diversity of questions and approaches in science. Historically birdsong was studied primarily as a male trait. However, as researchers in the field of animal behaviour have become more diverse, women have made substantial contributions to the birdsong literature, including through the study of female birdsong. We investigated the influence of gender on research topic and asked: are research articles on female birdsong disproportionately authored by women? We surveyed published ‘female song’ papers within the last 20 years, recording counts of author gender and authorship position (first, middle, last). We compared these data to a control group of ‘birdsong’ papers that were matched by journal and publication date. We found strong associations between research topic and author gender. First authors of female birdsong papers are significantly more likely to be women: women now make up 68% of first authors on female birdsong papers whereas women are only 44% of the first authors on general birdsong papers. Our case study suggests that women are making a greater contribution to the emerging field of female birdsong. This discrepancy demonstrates the importance of diversity in addressing previously understudied areas of science. Increasing diversity in science can lead to new approaches for studying behaviour, ecology and conservation.