Female first-year Ph.D. students in “bench” biology disciplines—such as molecular biology, cellular biology, and genetics—spend significantly more hours in lab than their male classmates do. Yet, for every 100 hours spent at work, these female students are 15% less likely to publish a paper during that first year than their male counterparts are, a new studyreports. The observed authorship difference could give male students an edge when applying for postdoctoral and faculty positions, contributing to the gender gap in university faculty in these fields, the study suggests. Biology is notable because, although approximately equal numbers of men and women have earned biology Ph.D.s in the United States over the past 10 years, the equity does not carry over to the faculty level: Estimates of tenure-track assistant professor positions held by women range from 29% to 36%.
