Is there gender bias in research fellowships awarded by the NHMRC?
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether there is gender bias in the allocation of research fellowships granted by the Research Fellowships Committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council.


METHODS
Anonymous data from applications for a research fellowship from 1994 to 1997.


RESULTS
More men than women apply for research fellowships (sex ratio, 2.5:1), but there is no difference in the proportion of male or female applicants who succeed in their application. Among new applicants, men tend to apply for a higher level of fellowship than women.


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of data about the numbers of eligible men and women means that we cannot draw conclusions about self-selection biases among potential applicants. However, the selection procedures of the Committee appear to be unbiased. The gender of applicants does not influence the outcome of their application.
Ward
J E
JE
Central Sydney Area Health Service Needs Assessment and Health Outcomes Unit, NSW. jward@nah.rpa.cs.nsw.gov.au
Donnelly
N
N
D016208:Databases, Factual; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D011287:Prejudice; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*