Frontiers in Marine Science (Sep 2021)
Limited Progress in Improving Gender and Geographic Representation in Coral Reef Science
- Gabby N. Ahmadia,
- Samantha H. Cheng,
- Dominic A. Andradi-Brown,
- Stacy K. Baez,
- Megan D. Barnes,
- Nathan J. Bennett,
- Stuart J. Campbell,
- Emily S. Darling,
- Emily S. Darling,
- Estradivari,
- Estradivari,
- David Gill,
- Erika Gress,
- Georgina G. Gurney,
- Vera Horigue,
- Vera Horigue,
- Vera Horigue,
- Raymond Jakub,
- Emma V. Kennedy,
- Shauna L. Mahajan,
- Sangeeta Mangubhai,
- Shayle B. Matsuda,
- Nyawira A. Muthiga,
- Michael O. Navarro,
- Nadia Santodomingo,
- Nadia Santodomingo,
- Henri Vallès,
- Laura Veverka,
- Angelo Villagomez,
- Amelia S. Wenger,
- Amelia S. Wenger,
- Adaoma Wosu
Affiliations
- Gabby N. Ahmadia
- Oceans Conservation, World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC, United States
- Samantha H. Cheng
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United States
- Dominic A. Andradi-Brown
- Oceans Conservation, World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC, United States
- Stacy K. Baez
- The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, DC, United States
- Megan D. Barnes
- Centre for Environmental Economic and Policy, School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Nathan J. Bennett
- The Peopled Seas Initiative, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Stuart J. Campbell
- Rare Indonesia, Kota Bogor, Indonesia
- Emily S. Darling
- Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, United States
- Emily S. Darling
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Estradivari
- Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
- Estradivari
- 0Marine Ecology Department, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry (FB2), University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- David Gill
- 1Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United States
- Erika Gress
- 2Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Georgina G. Gurney
- 2Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Vera Horigue
- 3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Vera Horigue
- 4Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Vera Horigue
- 5University of the Philippines – Marine Science Institute, Quezon City, Philippines
- Raymond Jakub
- Rare Indonesia, Kota Bogor, Indonesia
- Emma V. Kennedy
- 6Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Shauna L. Mahajan
- 7Global Science, World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC, United States
- Sangeeta Mangubhai
- 8Fiji Country Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Suva, Fiji
- Shayle B. Matsuda
- 9Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Kāne‘ohe, HI, United States
- Nyawira A. Muthiga
- 0Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Mombasa, Kenya
- Michael O. Navarro
- 1Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, United States
- Nadia Santodomingo
- 2Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Nadia Santodomingo
- 3Faculté des Géosciences et de l’Environnment, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Henri Vallès
- 4Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, The University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Bridgetown, Barbados
- Laura Veverka
- Oceans Conservation, World Wildlife Fund, Washington, DC, United States
- Angelo Villagomez
- The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, DC, United States
- Amelia S. Wenger
- Marine Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, United States
- Amelia S. Wenger
- 5Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Adaoma Wosu
- 6The Landscapes and Livelihoods Group, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.731037
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 8
Abstract
Despite increasing recognition of the need for more diverse and equitable representation in the sciences, it is unclear whether measurable progress has been made. Here, we examine trends in authorship in coral reef science from 1,677 articles published over the past 16 years (2003–2018) and find that while representation of authors that are women (from 18 to 33%) and from non-OECD nations (from 4 to 13%) have increased over time, progress is slow in achieving more equitable representation. For example, at the current rate, it would take over two decades for female representation to reach 50%. Given that there are more coral reef non-OECD countries, at the current rate, truly equitable representation of non-OECD countries would take even longer. OECD nations also continue to dominate authorship contributions in coral reef science (89%), in research conducted in both OECD (63%) and non-OECD nations (68%). We identify systemic issues that remain prevalent in coral reef science (i.e., parachute science, gender bias) that likely contribute to observed trends. We provide recommendations to address systemic biases in research to foster a more inclusive global science community. Adoption of these recommendations will lead to more creative, innovative, and impactful scientific approaches urgently needed for coral reefs and contribute to environmental justice efforts.
Keywords
