Despite Equal Publication Success in Climate Science, Women Leave the Field Earlier Than Men

A study led by a Georgia Tech researcher analyzing more than a century of climate science publications has found that women in the field are just as productive and successful as their male peers. However, they tend to have shorter careers and therefore fewer total publications. 

According to the study, women are 90% as likely as men to maintain their careers.

The research offers one of the deepest looks at publications and gender dynamics in climate science. The field is unique because it blends male-dominated areas of study — geosciences and engineering — with those that are majority-women, including sociology, public health, and life sciences. 

The study examined more than 400,000 publications between 1903 and 2018. The findings don’t include topics such as salaries, number of women in the field, or tenure rates. 

Read the entire story on the College of Engineering news page.