Gender Barriers to Knowledge Transfer and Exchange Among Vaccine Researchers in Low-, Middle- and High-Income Countries – An International Cross-Sectional Study in 44 Countries

Abstract

Background: Globally, women constitute 30% of researchers. Despite an increasing proportion of women in research, they are still less likely to have international collaborations. Literature on barriers to knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) between men and women, remain limited. This study aimed to elucidate perceived gender barriers to KTE activities in vaccination related research in low, middle- and high-income countries. Methods: This was a cross-sectional data from a self-administered questionnaire distributed to researchers in the field of vaccination research. Structural factors to KTE were assessed using 12 statements measured with 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). An index ranging from 12 to 60 points was created to assess structural factors to KTE, with higher score indicating higher perceived barriers. Linear regression modelling was applied to examine the association between KTE barriers and gender. Results: Regardless of gender, researchers experienced challenges with respect to KTE activities, particularly factors related to the availability of human and financial resources, and level of technical expertise among their target audience. We were also able to identify perceived facilitators among men and women, such as the presence of structures that link researchers and target audiences, the investment of target audiences in KTE efforts and the presence of stable contacts among target audience. Our linear regression analysis showed that women have a reduction of 1.069 in their scores in comparison with men (R2=0.014; B=-1.069; 95%CI -4.035;1.897). Conclusions: Men and women shared common perspectives on barriers to KTE. KTE activities could be strengthened by improving structural efforts to reduce gender differences and increase collaborations between researchers and their target audience.