The Gendered Construction of Scientific Excellence

Academics sign up to the concept of promoting excellence in research by valuing 'objectivity', independance, theoretical frameworks and an evidence base, even while we might argue about meaning of these concepts and how they should be operationalized. We share a commitment to peer review even though some may have concerns about invisible bias which may be built into some of the mechanism we employ to conduct it. So,, do we explain the extraordinarily robust and sustained role that gender continues to play in organizing the academy? Moreover, how do we understand the neglect of the gender cuts across the allocation of academic opportunities. It raises questions about the implications of the gendering of the academy on who decides who and what is excellent. It then outlines concerns about the neglect of the gender dimension in research processes. It concludes with recommendations on how to address the gender inbalance in the academy and enhance the attention to gender in research.