Sex differences in research productivity: New evidence about an old puzzle

Numerous studies have found that female scientists publish at lower rates t han male scientists. So far explanations for this consistent pattern have f ailed to emerge, and sex differences in research productivity remain a puzz le. We report new empirical evidence based on a systematic and detailed ana lysis of data from four large, nationally representative, cross-sectional s urveys of postsecondary faculty in 1969, 1973, 1988, and 1993. Our research yields two main findings. First, sex differences in research productivity declined over the time period studied with the female-to-male ratio increas ing from about 60 percent in the late 1960s to 75 to 80 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Second, most of the observed sex differences in res earch productivity can be attributed to sex differences in personal charact eristics, structural positions, and marital status. These results suggest t hat sex differences in research productivity stem from sex differences in s tructural locations and as such respond to the secular improvement of women 's position in science.