The Matilda Effect in Communication Research: The Effects of Gender and Geography on Usage and Citations Across 11 Countries

Across liberal democracies, optimalizing gender balance in communication research production and impact is a growing aspiration of scientific leaders and research-intensive universities alike. Despite eloquent motivations, the gender proportions of the most prolific scholars remain undetermined, along with the role gender plays in explaining research usage (i.e., views) and impact (i.e., citations) across countries. Drawing upon performance data of 5,500 communication scholars from 11 countries, this study found that amongst the most prolific communication authors, female scholars are still significantly underrepresented in all the analyzed regions. Furthermore, when examining views and citation scores, findings illustrate that female scholars' papers are systematically more viewed, yet significantly less cited than male scholarship. All things considered, we provide insightful empirical evidence that point to a twofold Matilda effect playing at both the production and performance levels in communication studies, arguing that gender inequalities are still rampant in the field.

Automated summary

Across liberal democracies, achieving gender balance in communication research production and impact has become increasingly important. This study, based on data from 5,500 communication scholars in 11 countries, reveals that female scholars are significantly underrepresented among the most prolific authors in all analyzed regions. Moreover, the findings show that although female scholars' papers are more viewed, they receive significantly fewer citations compared to male scholarship. Overall, this study provides insightful empirical evidence of persistent gender inequalities in the field of communication studies.