Gender inequality in clinician-scientist research careers: Evidence from a large Australian hospital network

This article addresses the lack of empirical evidence about how gender dynamics shape clinical research careers within health service environments. Informed by a feminist organisational theoretical perspective, this paper advances evidence-based understandings of systemic gender inequalities. The research generates knowledge of the extent to which core dimensions of clinician research activity in a large Australian hospital network varied by gender, clinical speciality, and/or health discipline. A survey instrument was iteratively developed with input from a clinician-scientist reference group and distributed to employees who had undertaken research in the past 5 years. The survey covered demographics, role, and research activities, outputs, support, and barriers. The 268 valid respondents (67.5% women) included medical (25.4%), allied health (44.8%), and nursing (22.8%) researchers. Analysis comprised descriptive statistics, non-parametric comparisons, regression models, and thematic coding of open-text questions. Substantive and systemic gendered differences were evident in opportunities, experiences, and outcomes, irrespective of level of experience or employment duration. Gendered differences were evident across key markers of research performance and reputation. Hours spent on research and employment duration both positively predicted publications for men but not women. Women were significantly more likely to adopt what are often seen as less prestigious methodologies. Importantly, men’s and women’s experiences of research processes, cultures and interactions differed, as was particularly evident in medicine, where women also reported significantly lower levels of workplace belonging. This research provides robust empirical evidence necessary for the development of effective organisational responses to address gender inequalities in research practices, cultures, and interactions.