WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- A new study suggests a there's a gender bias in the approval process for research teams looking to use the Hubble Telescope. Researchers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), the organization that runs the Hubble Space Telescope program, found that male-led proposals are more likely to be approved and granted time with the telescopes than female-led research projects.
Only a third of applying research teams are granted time on the telescopes, so the odds are stacked against scientists to begin with. But the new study, carried out by STScI researcher Neill Reid found the odds of approval are even less if a woman is the team's principle investigator. Reid said the discrepancy in any given year is small, but worryingly consistent.