Gender authorship in major US and European gastroenterology journals: the gap is still unfilled

Aims It is well known that journal authorship is associated with career advancement. In 2012 in USA-based journals the percentage of first female author (FA) was 29.3% and of senior female author (SA) was 14.5%. The aim of this study is to evaluate gender equity in authorship in major GI American and European Journals in the past three years.

Methods Group1 journals (G1-USA) were Gastroenterology, Hepatology, American J. of Gastroenterology, Clinical J. of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (CGH) and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GIE). Group2 (G2-European) included J. of Crohn’s and Colitis, Digestive and Liver Disease, J. of Hepatology, and Endoscopy. Original articles and editorials included were. Data points collected were first, second and senior authors’ gender, institutional nationality, type of the article, study design, type of research and topic. A chi-square (χ²) test and univariable logistic regression analysis were used [1].

Results A total of 3748 articles were included. The overall proportion of FA was 33.1% (31.4% in G1 and 35.6% in G2); for SA was 21.1% (20.1% in G1 and 22.5% in G2). The lowest percentage of FA was in GIE (24.5%), the lowest SA was in CGH (9.1%). Stratified by topic, the lowest rates of FA and SA were in operative endoscopy (20.0% and 13.0%). The highest rates of FA were in lower GI (39%), the highest SA in Hepatology (24%). Finally, a female physician has a higher possibility to be a FA if the senior is female than male (p<0.002).

Conclusions Gender biases are still present, shown by the significant association of female first/female senior author and the stratification by the topic.

 

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Conflicts of interest

Authors do not have any conflict of interest to disclose.

• 1 Long MT, Leszczynski A, Thompson KD, Wasan SK. et al. Female authorship in major academic gastroenterology journals: a look over 20 years. Gastrointest Endosc 2015; 81 (06) 1440-1447

Publication History

Article published online:
14 April 2023