In the field of science, there is a universal conviction that scientific development can't afford any kind of marginalization for reasons of race, sex or nationality, and that for it to function properly it needs the best human resources. However, even today there are still social conditions that marginalize many talented people with great research potential, such as women. To address this, the topic of "women and science" is currently at the heart of European policies on the construction of the European Research Area (ERA). At the data level, in 2019 in the EU, 59% of researchers were men and 41% women. In the field of engineering, men were particularly overrepresented in high- and medium-high-tech manufacturing (79% were men). For the Union, the under-representation of women researchers prevents the full realization of the ERA and, moreover, means an unacceptable waste of human resources. In this sense, the relevance of the full incorporation of women in research activities must be based on ethical principles of equity, but also on important economic reasons, since the absence of integration means the waist of an economic potential of incalculable value for society.

In this context, it is very necessary to find devices to measure the impact of the presence of women in science and therefore be able to quantify their contribution. In other words, in order to take advantage of the research potential of women researchers, it is necessary to identify the factors that characterize their scientific performance. However, the evaluation of the situation of women in science is prevented by the absence of reliable, accessible, harmonized data broken down by gender and professional levels.

To address this reality, bibliometric studies disaggregated by gender are very useful, since they make it possible to detect possible anomalies, discrimination or alterations in the normal functioning of science and to identify, through quantitative data, the participation of women in scientific activities and various characteristics related to publications, therefore contributing to a better understanding of the role of women in science.

For this reason, in the project "Women in Spanish research in Health Sciences: from authorship to content" (whose acronym is MUINCSALUD) we have decided to use the devices offered by bibliometrics. Through its use, we are committed to providing answers to the questions that are still hanging in the air about the contribution of women scientists, specifically in the field of Health Sciences. Knowing these answers will serve both to value the work done by a group that has historically had more difficulties and barriers, and to highlight the shortcomings that are still present today.