The Gender Dimension in Ecology: Perspectives from Diverse Approaches

Editors of the special issue

Paula Meli, Florencia Spirito, Josefina L. De Paepe, M. Fernanda Reyes, Esteban Jobbagy, and Marina Omacini.

Ecology is currently in the spotlight. The consequences of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity loss (Magnan et al. 2021), among other crises, confront us with an uncertain future where those of us who research ecological topics have much to contribute. However, not all voices are heard, as ecology is not immune to gender inequality (McGuire et al. 2012).

From the surface, women have made significant strides in closing the gender gap (Whittington & Pelletier 2021). Currently, one-third of individuals involved in scientific research worldwide are women. However, when we delve into this apparent improvement in equality, we still face significant challenges (Shen et al. 2013). For example, Salerno et al. (2019) analyzed over 7,000 articles published in the most relevant ecological journals by Latin American authors. They found that research groups led by women published with over 60% female co-authors, while those led by men published with less than 20% female co-authors, suggesting a gender bias implicit in research collaborations.

This bias also manifests in other aspects. In Latin America, Argentina is assumed to be a leader in gender equality in the academic world (De Kleijn et al., 2020): it has the highest proportion of researchers in the region, with over three researchers per 1,000 workers, of which nearly 55% are women (Ludovico et al. 2019). A closer analysis of this statistic reveals a quite different reality; women are less represented in the higher hierarchical positions in academia, which is related to two known global phenomena known as the "leaky pipeline" (see, for example, Chuliver et al. 2021) and the "glass ceiling" (Amon 2017). In parallel, in a recent study, Spirito et al. (2023) observed that over the last 20 years, not only do women and men working in ecology in Argentina work on different topics, but men are also more linked to topics related to decision-making. The gender equality policies and programs of Latin American governments mostly demonstrate a lack of political will to achieve substantial advances in substantive equality, as these programs typically focus on the "absences," that is, promoting women's access to positions where they are currently underrepresented, rather than addressing the multidimensional causes of such inequality (see, for example, O'Brien et al. 2019).

In the face of this discouraging present, spaces of escape emerge that invite us to rethink ecology from a gender perspective. The application of a gender perspective aims to unmask the social relationships that organize, legitimize, and perpetuate hierarchies based on sexual differences and sexist stereotypes (Rius 2000; Lamas 2015). In the academic field, the application of a gender perspective has emerged as a theoretical and methodological tool that questions conventional knowledge, addressing the need for a deeper examination of fundamental concepts and assumptions (Blázquez Graf & Chapa Romero 2018). This perspective not only seeks to identify and address the inequalities faced by women in the academic world but also to provide a new lens for examining how knowledge is constructed, at least in part, as a product subject to historical biases (challenging assumptions of objectivity, neutrality, and universality of knowledge). From a science with a gender perspective, we can not only recognize the role of women and diverse individuals as subjects of knowledge production but also understand the biases that gender imprints on scientific theory (Campagnoli 2018).

This special issue of Ecología Austral aims to highlight advances in the study of the gender dimension in ecology. We are interested in works that come not only from the scientific field but also represent the diversity of approaches and visions of individuals who address the gender dimension in ecological and environmental contexts. In this sense, we will accept both scientific articles, based on empirical data, original research, reviews, as well as notes for debate, opinion pieces, or those with a technical perspective, from anywhere in the world.

Important dates for this special issue are listed below. Please submit proposals or abstracts of works a pmeli@udec.cl o depapepe@agro.uba.ar by April 30.

Alternatively, you can submit via the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/KHJafABhr6CrZ4CMA

Important dates

* Submission of abstracts and proposals: until April 30, 2024
* Submission of full papers: until July 30, 2024
* Paper review: concludes on December 31, 2024
* Publication of the special issue: March 2025.

References

Magnan, A. K., H-O. Pörtner, V. K. E. Duvat, M. Garschagen, V. A. Guinder, Z. Zommers, O. Hoegh-Guldberg, and J-P. Gattuso. 2021. Estimating the global risk of anthropogenic climate change. Nature Climate Change 11:879-885.

McGuire, K.L., Primack, R.B. & Losos, E.C. (2012) Dramatic improvements and persistent challenges for women ecologists. Bioscience, 62(2), 189–196.

Whittington, A. & Pelletier, T.A.  (2021) Women in field science: Challenges, strategies, and support systems for success. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 27(6), 59–83.

Shen, H. (2013) Inequality quantified: mind the gender gap. Nature News, 49 5(74 3 9), 22– 24.

Salerno, P.E., Páez-Vacas, M., Guayasamin, J.M. & Stynoski, J.L. (2019) Male principal investigators (almost) don't publish with women in ecology and zoology. PLoS One, 14(6), e0218598.

De Kleijn, M, Jayabalasingham, B, Falk-Krzesinski, HJ, Collins, T, Kuiper-Hoyng, L, Cingolani, I, Zhang, J, Roberge, G, et al: The Researcher Journey Through a Gender Lens: An Examination of Research Participation, Career Progression and Perceptions Across the Globe (Elsevier, March 2020) Retrieved from www.elsevier.com/gender-report.

Ludovico, M.F., Amador, A., Monti, G. & Dawson, S.P. (2019) Women in science in Argentina: institutional changes and persistence of stereotypes. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2109(1), 50002

Chuliver, M., Grosso, J., Fontanarrosa, G., Fratani, J., Paola Ferraro, D., Duport-Bru, A.S. et al. (2021) Gender inequities 

in herpetology: The case of the Argentine community. Cuadernos de Herpetología, 35(2), 195–205

Amon, M.J. (2017) Looking through the glass ceiling: a qualitative study of STEM women's career narratives. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 236.

Spirito, F., Meli, P., Reyes, M.F., Núñez‐Vivanco, G., Beloff, Z. and De Paepe, J.L., 2023. Gender stereotypes in ecological research themes: An analysis of the last 20 years of the Argentinian ecology conferences. Austral Ecology.

O'Brien, K.R., Holmgren, M., Fitzsimmons, T., Crane, M.E., Maxwell, P. & Head, B. (2019) What is gender equality in science? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 34(5), 395–399.

Rius, L.F. (2000) Roles de género y mujeres académicas. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 88- 89, 63.

Lamas, M. (2015) El género. México: Bonilla Artigas Editores.

Blázquez Graf, N. & Chapa Romero, A.C. (2018) Inclusión del análisis de género en la ciencia. Ciudad de México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Campagnoli, M. A. 2018. Epistemologías críticas feministas: Aproximaciones actuales. Descentrada. Revista Interdisciplinaria de Feminismos y Género 2(2):e047.