Girls just wanna have funds and job stability in dementia research: A cross-sectional worldwide survey exploring gender differences in career motivations, satisfaction, perceived challenges and retention

Background As a leading cause of death worldwide, research into dementia-related diseases is crucial. Women represent two-thirds of people with dementia, yet women are underrepresented in dementia research leadership. To explore this, our gender-stratified study of dementia researchers investigated their motivations, role satisfaction, and perceived barriers to career progression and retention. Method Our global survey targeted early career dementia researchers (ECDRs) through social media and email lists. Multi-choice questions were used, often with an ?Other? write-in option. Descriptive statistics were compared using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests as appropriate. For gender comparisons, women and men were included, given the low sample size of other genders. Result Three-hundred-and-nine respondents included undergraduates to full professors: 68% women, 30% men, and 1% genderqueer, non-binary, or self-described. Half of respondents were considering leaving dementia research, particularly women (57% vs. 46% of men, p = 0.07) and ECDRs (40% of undergraduates, 61% postgraduates, 63% postdocs, 30% assistant professors, 21% full professors, p = 0.009). One in five women, but no men, reported their gender as one of the most significant barriers to their career progression. Job availability/security and work-life balance were also considered career barriers by more women than men (70% vs. 47%, p