Public engagement and gender differences in Italy: Exploring the gap by activity and discipline

The extent of some changes that have occurred over the last years, as well as the social and political consequences of these changes, has led to the emergence of new needs related to expert knowledge, scientific culture, and public trust, calling for new attention regarding the implications of the ties between science and society. Scientists are called upon in first person to engage with society, interact and facilitate the relationship between the scientific world and the world of non-experts. This study focuses on the public engagement activities of Italian academics, specifically on the participation of women scientists in these activities since the relationship between gender and public engagement in the literature is unclear. What is the involvement of women in these activities? Is it different in terms of quantity and quality from that of men? In which disciplines the gender gap, if any, is stronger? How do attitudes towards the university’s role in society impact on public engagement of men and women? Using survey data from a national sample of Italian academics from all disciplines (N=5.123), we find that men and women are equally engaged in community-based activities, but women are less engaged in communication activities through mass media. Moreover, the gender gap in the last group of activities is stronger in those disciplines where academics are more frequently engaged, Health Sciences among STEM disciplines and Social Sciences among SSH. These results suggest a different analytical approach for investigating gender differences in public engagement and indicate which disciplinary fields need more incisive policies for promoting women as experts.