Women hold less than a quarter of editorial positions in top finance journals across the world, according to a new study from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
This underrepresentation is known as the “masculine ratio.” The role of editors in journals significantly impacts academic research by determining which papers are reviewed and published. Editors play a critical role in scholarly advancement and decision making.
In order to complete this study, Professor Alessia Paccagnini from UCD Smurfit School and colleagues gathered data by examining over 100 finance journals ranked in the Chartered Association of Business Schools (ABS) list. They looked for three variables: gender of editors, number of board memberships held by each editor and the geographic affiliations of editors.
The researchers also analysed social networks amongst editors by mapping and examining connections formed through shared memberships on multiple editorial boards. Alongside this, they identified key people with multiple board memberships and explored their influence within the network.
Finally, they compared their research against research undertaken in 2003 and 2015. This showed a positive trend, as in 2003 only 1 in 26 editors were women, but in 2015, 8 per cent of editors were women. For this number to now be at 20 per cent shows clear progression, but proves that there is more work to be done.
The study shows that there is a need for structural change and effective gender policies in order to make editorial boards more diverse and equal. This could also have a significant impact on making the research published in journals more diverse.
The recommendations that have come from this study are to incentivise journals by rewarding them for including female editors, and penalising journals that do not adopt inclusivity standards. There should also be more network platforms for female researchers to build professional connections and become more visible for editorial positions.
Professor Paccagnini says: “Promoting gender inclusivity and diversity is not just about fairness. Diverse editorial boards are essential for driving innovation and ensuring that academic publishing reflects the richness of perspectives needed to address complex global challenges.”
This research was published in October 2024 in The Journal of Business Ethics.
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