Uncovering Barriers for Women in Russian Grant Funding: Exploring Rejected and Supported Grant Applications

This paper analyzes data from about 400,000 supported and rejected grant applications submitted to the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) from 1994 to 2016 across eight research fields, including STEM and Social Sciences & Humanities (SSH). This study examined gender disparities in the grant application process by analyzing the number of applications submitted, the percentage of applications supported, and the representation of women across different research fields and grant types. The results indicate gender disparities in funding, although there is a slow positive trend. Women are underrepresented in STEM fields and experience lower acceptance rates for both STEM and SSH grants. Additionally, women are more likely to participate in grant competitions for early-career researchers.