Life-cycle productivity and gender differences in academic research: evidence from a Brazilian public university

Abstract

Personal attributes and behavioral factors are key factors in determining researchers’ scientific productivity. Investigating what determines the academic productivity among university researchers is the purpose of this study, which uses a sample of microdata from professors at a State university in Brazil (Federal University of Juiz de Fora) for the period 1999-2013. The main results show that age and academic productivity have an inverted-U-shaped relationship, revealing that experience enhances academic production. Regarding gender differences, we found that women generally have lower average productivity than men. However, at the end of their careers, women are subject to greater leverage effects in productivity and therefore achieve productive parity with men, especially during their production peaks.