In the review process for research grants, etc., it has been pointed out that unconscious gender bias among reviewers may affect the review results.However, these studies have focused on Europe and America, and the actual situation in Japan has not been clarified.

　In this study, we focused on the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellowship Program, which can be considered a gateway to success for young researchers in Japan, and found a difference in the selection rate between male and female applicants over a five-year period from 2017 to 2021. We investigated whether it is possible.

　The results revealed that men had higher adoption rates than women in all of the programs surveyed.It was also observed that the difference in acceptance rates between men and women tends to widen as one's career progresses, with the difference between men and women being larger in systems targeting doctoral degree holders than in systems targeting students.

　In addition, as a factor that correlates with the gender difference in acceptance rates, there is a large gender difference in acceptance rates in research fields such as mathematical and physical sciences and medical, dental, and pharmaceutical sciences in the Overseas Research Fellowship system and PD (targeted for doctoral degree holders). The trend was confirmed.We also found the opposite trend: in PD, the more female applicants there are, the smaller the gender difference in acceptance rates becomes, and in DC1 (for first-year doctoral students), the more female applicants there are, the larger the gender difference in acceptance rates becomes. did.

　Interestingly, the proportion of female applicants tended to be lower in programs aimed at younger applicants, with male students more actively applying for Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellowships than female students. There is a possibility that it is.These differences in behavioral characteristics between men and women may also have influenced the results.

　This study is the first to quantitatively clarify gender differences in grant acceptance rates outside of Europe and America, and suggests that unconscious bias is at work in the screening process in Japan as well.It is hoped that this result will serve as a starting point for considering what efforts are needed to conduct more fair reviews, leading to the creation of an environment where it is easier for female researchers to thrive.

Paper information:[PLOS ONE]Male applicants are more likely to be awarded fellowships than female applicants: A case study of a Japanese national funding agency