Including gender in research could attract more women to science as well, Schiebinger says, because careers and avenues of research suddenly can become relevant to women.

She says that as more women get involved in the sciences—or any field historically dominated by men—the general knowledge in that field tends to expand.

“There are lots of places where you can show the direct link between increase in number of women and outcome in knowledge,” she says. “History, primatology, biology, medicine.”

It’s an idea that dovetails with a major shift that has taken place in how scientific inquiry is being carried out by research teams.