Prof Xiaohui WANG’s study reveals gender inequalities in Communication

14 Feb 2024 (Wed)

Xiaohui Wang, Assistant Professor of the Department of Media and Communication, has recently published a research article entitled “Can social media combat gender inequalities in academia? Measuring the prevalence of Matilda effect in Communication” in the flagship journal of the International Communication Association Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, co-authored with COM PhD alumna Yunya Song, Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University and Dr. Guanrong Li from Nanjin University. This article has just come out in the special issue on Gender Gaps in Digital Spaces edited by Dr. Sandra González-Bailón & Dr. Emőke-Ágnes Horvát in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.

Social media has increasingly been used by scholars as a powerful tool for disseminating research outputs. However, our study suggests that its benefits might not be equally accessible to all academics. The study examined the publication records of 6,827 scholars who published articles in prominent communication journals and found that despite there being more female scholars, male scholars were more productive, mobile, and popular online. The study also found that male scholars received more citations when they used social media to disseminate their research. These findings suggest that social media may not be the tool for gender equality it was once thought to be and that strategies aimed at enhancing gender equity, diversity, and inclusivity in communication research may need to be reconsidered.



Click the link for more details: https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad050