Gender Disparities in Contributions, Leadership, and Collaboration: An Exploratory Study on Software Systems Research
Shamse Tasnim Cynthia, Saikat Mondal, Joy Krishan Das, Banani Roy
TL;DR
This study addresses gender disparities in Software Systems Research (SSR) by analyzing 2,000 Journal of Systems and Software (JSS) articles from 2015–2024 and focusing on 384 mixed-gender articles with CRediT contribution statements. Using the 14 CRediT roles and per-paper contribution ratios CR_female = F_i / F_K and CR_male = M_i / M_K, the authors quantify women’s participation, leadership, and contributions and map them to 23 SSR areas aligned with JSS scopes. They find that women comprise about 32.7% of authors, female-led studies are 41.92% of the sample, and female supervision trails male supervision by a notable margin, while women excel in conceptualization, writing, and reviewing and show stronger engagement in human-centric areas; AI/data/big data leadership remains male-dominated. The results expose persistent biases and underscore the need for targeted policies to improve gender equity, mentorship, and collaboration in SSR, with implications for research design, collaboration networks, and domain-specific leadership opportunities.
Abstract
Gender diversity enhances research by bringing diverse perspectives and innovative approaches. It ensures equitable solutions that address the needs of diverse populations. However, gender disparity persists in research where women remain underrepresented, which might limit diversity and innovation. Many even leave scientific careers as their contributions often go unnoticed and undervalued. Therefore, understanding gender-based contributions and collaboration dynamics is crucial to addressing this gap and creating a more inclusive research environment. In this study, we analyzed 2,000 articles published over the past decade in the Journal of Systems and Software (JSS). From these, we selected 384 articles that detailed authors' contributions and contained both female and male authors to investigate gender-based contributions. Our contributions are fourfold. First, we analyzed women's engagement in software systems research. Our analysis showed that only 32.74% of the total authors are women and female-led or supervised studies were fewer than those of men. Second, we investigated female authors' contributions across 14 major roles. Interestingly, we found that women contributed comparably to men in most roles, with more contributions in conceptualization, writing, and reviewing articles. Third, we explored the areas of software systems research and found that female authors are more actively involved in human-centric research domains. Finally, we analyzed gender-based collaboration dynamics. Our findings revealed that female supervisors tended to collaborate locally more often than national-level collaborations. Our study highlights that females' contributions to software systems research are comparable to those of men. Therefore, the barriers need to be addressed to enhance female participation and ensure equity and inclusivity in research.