Gender Imbalance in Authorship of Veterinary Literature: 1995 versus 2015

Abstract

Despite increasing representation of women in veterinary medicine, gender differences persist in pay and attainment of senior and leadership positions. In academia, scholarly publication is a measure of productivity and is emphasized in the promotion process. This study aimed to analyze gender differences in the authorship of veterinary research articles to understand factors that could influence women’s advancement and standing in academic medicine. We hypothesized that the proportion of women authors would increase between 1995 and 2015 and be similar to employment rates of women in academia, and that gender differences would exist in authorship by species, veterinary specialty area, and role (junior versus senior author). We examined 2,086 articles published in eight prominent veterinary journals in 1995 and 2015, determined the gender of first authors, corresponding authors, and senior authors, and collected article information including study design, species, and veterinary specialty area. The proportion of women as first and corresponding author increased significantly between 1995 and 2015, and in both years studied, women authored a larger percentage of articles than the reported percentage of women working in academia. In 2015, women were first authors of 60.0% (95% CI 56.9–63.0) of articles but accounted for only 38.3% of senior authors (95% CI 33.4–43.3). Female first authors were concentrated in articles pertaining to small animal, equine, and internal medicine disciplines and under-represented among articles pertaining to livestock or surgical specialties. The gender gap in the authorship of veterinary clinical research articles has improved dramatically over the past 20 years, although gender disparities persist.

Evaluating gender discrepancies in the time to successful match into a small animal surgery residency program

“…Veterinary studies have investigated that women are under-represented as senior authors particularly in surgical disciplines, and female veterinary surgeons do not reach senior academic ranks in proportion to their overall representation among veterinary school faculty. 11,12 In addition, it has been postulated that fewer female human medical students pursue surgical specialties than men due to poor exposure and recruitment to surgical specialties and lack of female mentorship within the field. 13 Finally, as discussed in Morello et al, students themselves may self-segregate along gender lines, possibly due to persistence of traditional role congruence.…”

“…Our results show that men have more publications at the time of first attempt residency match, which may directly contribute to their higher first attempt match rate. Veterinary studies have investigated that women are under‐represented as senior authors particularly in surgical disciplines, and female veterinary surgeons do not reach senior academic ranks in proportion to their overall representation among veterinary school faculty 11,12 . In addition, it has been postulated that fewer female human medical students pursue surgical specialties than men due to poor exposure and recruitment to surgical specialties and lack of female mentorship within the field 13 .…”

Gender discrimination of veterinary students and its impact on career aspiration: A mixed methods approach

“…3 Furthermore, women are proportionally underrepresented in veterinary academia, 5 , 6 less likely to be a senior author on a research paper; they are significantly underrepresented in surgical and production animal research. 7 This is not exclusive to the veterinary profession; female authors are underrepresented in medical research, 8 the reasons behind this underrepresentation are unclear. It has been proposed that a ‘Lack of Fit Framework’ considers gender stereotyping as central to discrimination in the workplace.…”

“…Women are underrepresented as RCVS specialists and fellows 3 . Furthermore, women are proportionally underrepresented in veterinary academia, 5,6 less likely to be a senior author on a research paper; they are significantly underrepresented in surgical and production animal research 7 . This is not exclusive to the veterinary profession; female authors are underrepresented in medical research, 8 the reasons behind this underrepresentation are unclear.…”

Editorial: Women in veterinary epidemiology and economics

“…Women's advancement and standing in academic veterinary medicine may in part be influenced by pronounced gender differences in the authorship of veterinary research articles. Women are less likely to be a senior author on a research paper and they are significantly underrepresented in some fields such as surgical and production animal research ( 5 ). Gender disparity in professional leadership roles like editorial boards—the median publisher in veterinary sciences had 27.5% editorships belonging to women ( 6 )—can summate by impairing peer recognition and academic advancement.…”