The gap between male and female researchers is widest in business R&D
Every March, International Women’s Day invites reflection on progress towards strengthening women’s participation in education, employment and society more broadly. In research and development (R&D) careers, the story remains a complex one.
In most OECD economies, business enterprises perform the majority of R&D. Yet women remain markedly underrepresented in this sector. On average, they account for only around one-quarter of researchers in business R&D, a share that has changed little over the past two decades. By contrast, women’s share among higher education and government researchers has increased steadily over the same period, with parity already achieved in several countries.
This gap matters. Business R&D plays a central role in driving innovation, productivity growth and the development of new goods and services. When women are underrepresented, their skills, perspectives and leadership are less present in shaping technological change and commercial innovation.
Why education alone does not explain participation in R&D
At first glance, these patterns may appear puzzling. Across, OECD countries, women now achieve advanced educational qualifications at rates equal to or higher than men. In fact, for more than a decade, women have made up the majority of graduates achieving advanced tertiary qualifications across the OECD. In 2023, they accounted for roughly three out of five master’s graduates and half of doctoral graduates on average. The pool of highly educated talent has therefore expanded and diversified substantially.
Yet this educational parity has not translated into equal participation in different parts of the research workforce. In 2023, the share of women researchers approached parity in only a handful of OECD countries and accounted for just over one-third (35.7%) of all researchers on average across the OECD, a share that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.
Does the choice of research field explain gaps between men and women? Only partly
Business R&D relies heavily on skills developed in engineering, information and natural sciences. These fields are commonly described as STEM, in contrast with disciplines like medicine, social sciences and the humanities. While women represent more than half of all master’s and doctoral graduates overall, they remain underrepresented in STEM fields. Countries with lower shares of women earning advanced STEM qualifications also tend to have lower shares of women working as researchers in business R&D. Field composition therefore plays a contributing role.
However, field choice alone cannot fully explain the observed gaps. Even in some countries where women’s share of advanced STEM degrees approaches that of men, their share of research roles in business remains significantly lower. Moreover, gaps persist even within similar fields and qualification levels. This points to the influence of additional structural factors, including institutional practices and social norms, that shape research careers after formal education is completed.
Women researchers continue to experience less favourable career conditions
Gaps between men and women in research and innovation are not limited to who enters research roles. Among those who obtain doctoral degrees – the highest formal research qualification – women continue to experience less favourable labour market outcomes on average, regardless of their chosen profession.
Across OECD countries with available data, women doctorate holders are more likely than men to be employed on temporary rather than permanent contracts. Temporary employment can delay career progression, restrict access to leadership positions and increase financial insecurity; potentially weakening incentives to pursue or remain in research careers over the long term.
Women doctorate holders also earn less than men with equivalent qualifications. While the size of the earnings gap varies across countries, it is present in all countries with available data. The pay differentials accumulate over the course of working lives, with implications for long-term earnings, pension entitlements and economic independence.
International mobility has become an increasingly important feature of research careers. Cross-border experience supports the circulation of knowledge, strengthens professional networks and is frequently associated with career advancement and research excellence.
Yet women researchers also engage in mobility less frequently than their male counterparts. In 2023, women accounted for 45% of internationally mobile doctoral enrolments across OECD countries with available data, up from 42% in 2014, but still below parity.
When international experience becomes a key marker of excellence or advancement, lower participation in mobility can translate into longer-term career disadvantages for female researchers and reinforce existing gaps in research and innovation.
Why better evidence matters
Taken together, these patterns show that equal participation in research and development cannot be assumed simply because educational parity has been achieved. Women now enter the labour market with equal, and often higher, educational credentials than men, yet their potential remains underutilised within research and innovation systems, particularly in the business sector. Persistent gaps in participation, earnings, contract stability and mobility point to structural barriers beyond education alone.
In a context of rapid technological change and intensifying global competition, research and innovation systems cannot afford to leave talent on the sidelines. Stronger evidence enables better policy, so improving the evidence base is part of the solution. The Research and Innovation Careers Observatory, a joint initiative of the OECD and the European Commission, will continue to consolidate and expand the evidence needed to track R&D career trajectories over time, helping countries to identify where progress is being made and where it is not.