Bridging the Gender Gap in African Scientific Publishing: Insights From Web of Science Indexed Journals

Abstract

African women researchers represent a minority within Africa's scientific community, accounting for 29.3%—a figure significantly lower than in other regions: 39% in Europe, 41% in Asia, 43% in South America, and 44% in North America. Moreover, this low participation rate masks intra-African disparities, with some Sub-Saharan African countries exhibiting particularly low percentages, such as Chad (3.35%), Guinea (9.81%) and Togo (11.47%), reflecting significant gender imbalances (UNESCO). This study examines the participation of African women in scientific publications, focusing on differences between social sciences and exact sciences, as well as regional disparities between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to identify key challenges and propose actions to enhance the presence of African women researchers in high-impact journals. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analyses a micro-level database of African publications from 2010 (30,455 articles) and 2022 (137,566 articles) retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) indexed journals. Additionally, qualitative insights are drawn from interviews with African women researchers. The quantitative analysis reveals a modest increase in female authorship from 29% in 2010 to 32% in 2022, aligning with UNESCO's statistics (2022). While progress has been observed, disparities persist across scientific disciplines. Notably, female participation in exact sciences has grown significantly, with Engineering and Technology rising from 16% to 21%, Physical Sciences from 19% to 23%, and Life Sciences and Biomedicine from 29% to 35%. In contrast, gains in social sciences were more modest, with Arts and Humanities remaining stable at 28% and Social Sciences increasing slightly from 26% to 28%. Regional variations are also evident, with South Africa and Egypt leading in contributions. Qualitative interviews highlight barriers such as gender bias, financial constraints, and limited institutional support, which continue to hinder women's academic progression. This study is the first to conduct a granular article-level analysis of African women's participation in WoS-indexed journals, employing innovative methods to infer author gender and utilising text mining techniques for qualitative analysis. Its findings provide critical insights for policymakers and academic institutions striving to promote gender equity in African research.