Armenian Women in Science: An Analytical and Bibliometric Study of Current Trends

This article investigates the role of women scientists in the Republic of Armenia, specifying their involvement and impact on the scientific community. The study is conducted from the dual perspective of biographical data (regarding age, title, academic position) and bibliometric data (regarding publications produced and respective citations). Through the lists provided by the Armenian Higher Education and Science Committee (HESC) and compiled by the Center for Scientific Information Analysis and Monitoring (CSIAM), academic biographical information on female scientists working in research organizations/institutions in the Republic of Armenia was identified. In addition, bibliometric data on the respective publications and citations were collected using the Web of Science database. Armenian women scientists make up nearly 52% of researchers in Armenia, significantly exceeding the global average of 30%. They are primarily engaged in the humanities and social sciences, chemistry, medicine and biology. While the number of women holding Ph.D. degrees has increased, women scientists with the title of so-called doctor of science still remain a minority. Women are underrepresented in leading scientific positions (heads of departments, laboratories, institutions, etc.,). The number of WoS Core Collection publications by women scientists in Armenia has increased almost ninefold since 1991 and women have (co-) authored almost 27% of the totality of publications. Women scientists mostly published their articles as members of research teams. This investigation can help to understand the overall development of the role and share of women scientists in Armenia and, by analogy, also in different corners of the world.