The quantity and quality of female researchers: A bibliometric study of Iceland

The output of female researchers in Iceland, relative to that of males, can be investigated because typically their "surnames" end in "dottir" whereas the names of males end in "son". Over the 21 years from 1980 to 2000, there has been a rise in female: male output from 8% to about 30%. It is higher in the life sciences (biomedical research, biology and clinical medicine) but lower where there is also foreign co-authorship, suggesting that females are less able to make overseas contacts through travel. There appears to be no difference in the quality of female and male research output, as measured either by journal impact categories or by citations.