Commissioned Book Review: Kathrin Zippel, Women in Global Science. Advancing Academic Careers through International Collaboration
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929919854300 |
| Published date | 01 May 2020 |
| Date | 01 May 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Commissioned Book Reviews |
Political Studies Review
2020, Vol. 18(2) NP6 –NP8
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
Commissioned Book Review
854300PSW0010.1177/1478929919854300Political Studies ReviewCommissioned Book Review
book-review2019
Commissioned Book Review
Women in Global Science. Advancing
Academic Careers through International
Collaboration by Kathrin Zippel. Stanford, CA:
Stanford University Press, 2017. 224 pp., £20.95
(p/b), ISBN 9781503601499
While international research collaboration has a
long history of facilitating knowledge exchange,
creativity and discoveries (Wagner, 2008), it
has also been noted that ‘… there might be a
danger of ossified, “old boy” networks of col-
laboration locking out newcomers and new
ideas’ (Hicks and Katz, 1996: 44). During the
past decades, international research collabora-
tion has not only intensified (Wagner et al.,
2015) due to scientific, political and societal
demands combined with technological opportu-
nities, but has also undergone important trans-
formation. This transformation includes ‘the
gender diversity revolution’ in composition of
research teams (Bozeman and Youtie, 2017).
Nevertheless, recent studies still demonstrate
major gender inequalities in publications, cita-
tions, grants and international collaborations,
with female collaborators being less likely to
work internationally (Wagner, 2016).
In her timely book, Women in Global
Science. Advancing Academic Careers through
International Collaboration, Kathrin Zippel
explores gendered meanings of international
research collaboration in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines
in the United States (US). The STEM disciplines
are an interesting case to study opportunities and
obstacles that internationalization presents to
careers of female scientists, because these fields
are characterized by high globalization and low
participation of women. As the leading scientific
power, the US attracts global talent that goes to
work to the US universities temporarily or perma-
nently, while the US scientists themselves have
little international experience in comparison to
other academically strong countries.
Using data from interviews, survey and
focus groups with more than 100 tenured and
tenure track male and female scientists, Zippel
reveals their contradictory experiences with
international collaboration. While they see
international collaboration as scientifically val-
uable, leading to new publications and grants as
well as advancing academic careers, scientists
have also encountered obstacles and barriers
from colleagues, universities and funding agen-
cies that provide little support and recognition
for international collaboration. Contradictory
experiences of international collaboration are
closely related to ambivalent discourses about
the US role in global science. Science is seen as
a global enterprise that benefits from diversity
and tackles global challenges. At the same time,
discourse of US scientific superiority depicts
other countries as inferiors and casts doubts on
the benefits of international collaboration when
the best science is available ‘at home’.
International collaboration is seen as a high-risk
activity and untenured faculty is advised to stay
away from it.
To capture gendered obstacles and opportu-
nities for international collaborations, Zippel
coins the terms ‘glass fences’ and ‘the .edu
bonus’. The term ‘glass fences’ describes barri-
ers that women face in international collabora-
tion. Similar to ‘glass ceilings’ and ‘glass
borders’ in the business literature dealing with
obstacles for women to reach top management
positions, ‘glass fences’ are invisible barriers
that women face in their careers. However,
while ceilings and borders have a more fixed
nature, the fence metaphor indicates flexibility
of these socially constructed barriers. Fences
can be of different heights, women can climb or
jump over them, science organizations can
remove them and social networks, mentors and
colleagues can provide ladders or open gates.
These fences relate to resources, opportunities
and perceptions that hold back women’s partici-
pation in international collaboration, which
often operates on the myth of the hyperflexible
and internationally mobile male academic
entrepreneur who has invitations, resources to
travel and is socially well networked to high-
status academics around the world.
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