Career development of teaching researchers in Brazil: a gender analysis

Historically, men have held the highest number of research productivity scholarships. This study discusses gender differences in the development of the academic career and social practices of naturalization of those disparities. Fellows from the initial level (n = 620) and the end of the career (n = 616) from different areas took part in this study. The research included analysis of Lattes curriculum vitae and questionnaires about marital status, presence of children, age to become a researcher, etc. The results showed that women graduate later, take longer to join the system of scholarships and their older children have a higher average age. Moreover, to the extent that the scientific career progresses, the number of women in the system of grants decreases. The results allow to discuss the influence of gender stereotypes on the imbalance in the division of family responsibilities, in addition to bringing implications for planning strategies of the professional development of researchers and the definition of scientific policies that consider such inequalities.