Barriers of West African women scientists in their research and academic careers: A qualitative research

Ndèye Marème Sougou; Oumy Ndiaye; Farah Nabil; Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan; Samba Cor Sarr; Elhadji M Mbaye; Guillermo Z Martínez-Pérez

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0265413

Barriers of West African women scientists in their research and academic careers: A qualitative research

PLoS One. 2022 Mar 30;17(3):e0265413. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265413. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ndèye Marème Sougou^{1

2}, Oumy Ndiaye³, Farah Nabil⁴, Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan^{4

5}, Samba Cor Sarr⁶, Elhadji M Mbaye⁷, Guillermo Z Martínez-Pérez⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.
² Institute of Health and Development, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.
³ Faculty of Economics and Management, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.
⁴ Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
⁵ Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
⁶ Ministry of Health and Social Action, Dakar, Sénégal.
⁷ Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Épidémiologique et de Formation, Diamniadio, Sénégal.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to identify barriers to the professional advancement of women researchers in West Africa.

Methods: This was a descriptive, observational, cross-sectional qualitative study conducted between June and September 2020 in five West African countries (Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali). Interviews were conducted with 21 female and 9 male health researchers by video call. After transcription, the data was thematically analysed using an inductive process.

Results: Four themes associated with barriers to women's careers development were identified. First. was family- and environmental-related barriers. Gender norms that assign domestic tasks and responsibilities to women reduced the time they were able to dedicate to research. Second was gender insensitive organisational culture and institutional policies that deepened gender disparities and made it more difficult for women to attain leadership positions. Third was the need for women in research to undergo emancipation programs to strengthen their resilience and ability to make critical decisions as strategic approaches to address the challenges faced by women in the academia were a lot more focused on addressing their relationship with their spouse. Forth, was the individual intermediate perception of professional and personal success which for many women, they perceive themselves as competent as their male counterparts and should not be subject to the gender discrimination they experience.

Conclusion: The web created between work-life and home-life for West African women researchers mainly as a result of the gender inequalities in the social structure will require more medium- and long-term strategic planning by institutional authorities to reduce gender disparities in research and academia. This work has highlighted the influence of family and social life on the professional lives of West African women researchers. The study could help contribute to the development of gender equality interventions for the career development of women researchers in West Africa.

Publication types

Observational Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Burkina Faso
Career Mobility*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Qualitative Research
Sexism*

Grants and funding

This study is a compenent of the BCA-WA-ETHICS project, part of the EDCTP2 programme, supported by the European Union under grant number: CSA2018ERC- 2314. The grant was awarded to authors GMZP, SCS, and EMM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision topublish, or preparation of the manuscript. Full name of the funder: The European and Developing Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), https://www.edctp.org/.