Why gender is relevant to materials science and engineering

MRS Commun. 2021;11(5):656-661. doi: 10.1557/s43579-021-00093-1. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Abstract

For historical reasons science today has substantially more evidence for males and men than for females and women, which means that quality of research and innovation outcomes may often be worse for women than for men. I explore how the gender dimension-a term used to mean effects of biological (sex) and/or socio-cultural (gender) characteristics-fits into new materials research and engineering and especially in nano-materials applications. Horizon Europe expects that grant proposals should include explanation if gender dimension is relevant to the project's objectives. This paper shows that often the answer should be yes it is.

Keywords: Bioelectronics; Biological; Biomaterial; Biomedical; Environmental impact.