This paper studies gender differences in the consequences of negative shocks in science. We focus on research retractions-episodes that, although rare, carry significant implications for the credibility and career progression of involved scientists. We assemble a new dataset linkingretraction records to the complete publication histories of all involved authors (1993- 2020). Using NLP-based similarity measures applied to over 500,000 abstracts, we examine how retractions affect researchers’ citations as well as the evolution of their research agendas. We documentsizeable and persistent gender gaps in retraction penalties. Citations to prior work fall sharply after retraction, with female authors experiencingsignificantly larger losses than male co-authors from the same event. Retractions also lead authors to shift away from the topics of the retractedarticle, and this thematic change is substantially stronger for women. These gender gaps are not driven by gender differences in field, seniority, eminence, and are more pronounced in mixed-gender teams. Instead, we show that women face larger declines in productivity, reducedcollaboration opportunities, and sustained citation penalties even for post-retraction work. The findings indicate that negative shocks amplify existing gender inequalities in science through both demand-side sanctions by the research community and supply-side adjustments in research behaviour by retracted authors. 

About Piera: 

Piera Bello is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Bergamo. She holds a PhD in Economics from the Università della Svizzeraitaliana (USI). Before joining the University of Bergamo, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University College London and at the University of Zurich. Her research has focused on gender and education economics, and household finance. Her current research agenda aims at understanding the role of teachers’ stereotypes in affecting the performance and education choices of students, and at investigating the determinants of female under-representation in academia. 

About HOSS:  

The House of Sustainable Society (HOSS) is a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder, social science research center at the Stockholm School of Economics focused on creating knowledge and impact to promote more sustainable markets. Our aim is to develop rigorous knowledge around how markets can be effectively advanced to support the transition to sustainable development. 

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