Who cares about care? For a gendered reflection on research topics in the humanities and social sciences

Studying the gender gap in academia means analyzing dynamics such as pay gap, glass ceiling, work-life balance challenges, gender-based violence, academic housework. This paper wants to add a different perspective by focusing on the gendered nature of research topics within the social sciences and humanities (SSH), particularly in relation to “care” topics and approaches. This study was born from an autoethnographic observation based on first-hand experience in the fields of geography and sociology, that inspired us to further investigate this matter, supplemented by two case studies: the AESOP Sustainable Food Planning conference and the Association of Italian Geographers. Through quantitative analysis of five AESOP conference editions and A.Ge.I working group participants, the study examines gender representation in leadership roles and research topics. Findings reveal that while women dominate in terms of participation at conferences, their presence sharply declines in hierarchically higher positions. In A.Ge.I groups, women predominantly engage with what we call “care-related topics”, highlighting a stronger gendered pattern in “feminized” disciplines compared to male-dominated ones. Despite numerical parity in participation, male coordinators outnumber female ones. This research seeks to provoke a broader debate about the academic community’s evaluation of gendered research topics. It questions the relevance and dignity assigned to topics traditionally viewed as feminine and challenges the biases influencing who raises these questions and who dismisses them.