Gender diversity and the transformation of research excellence

Women remain scarce in the top layers of the scientific profession worldwide, and continue to experience challenges to achieve prominent scientific careers and be recognized as excellent scientists. This chapter reflects on the various ways in which gender affects and is affected by the concept of excellence and its application in the workplace. It argues that, when applied to individual researchers, the concept of excellence may contribute to the reproduction of gender inequalities in academia, which calls for further thinking about appropriate forms of measurement. In addition, female scientists in the Global South seem to experience particular pressures and challenges related to the context in which they operate, which merit more attention. Finally, the chapter presents an approach to integrate diversity and inclusion into the framework for achieving excellence, which can be considered by research councils, research funders and universities in the Global South and beyond.Published by African Minds