Representation of Women as Authors of Rheumatology Research Articles

Abstract

In academic medicine, journal article authorship is central to career advancement and promotion. This study aimed to examine the contemporary representation of women as first and senior authors of rheumatology original research articles. Methods. The gender of the first and senior author, disease category, research design, and funding source were extracted from rheumatology original research articles published in high-impact rheumatology and general medical journals between 2015 and 2019. Results. The analysis included 7,651 original research articles. In total, 51.5% of the articles had women first authors (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 50.4-52.6%) and 35.3% had women senior authors (95% CI 34.2-36.4%). Women were significantly less likely to be first and senior authors of articles reporting randomized controlled trials compared with other clinical research designs (P < 0.001), and of articles reporting industry-funded/industry-initiated studies compared with studies not funded by industry (P ≤ 0.01). Of the articles reporting industry-funded/industryinitiated randomized controlled trials, women were first authors in 18.5% (95% CI 13.8-24.0%) and senior authors in 23.9% (95% CI 18.6-29.8%). Conclusion. In rheumatology research articles, there is gender parity for first authorship, but women are underrepresented in senior authorship positions. Underrepresentation of women in authorship is particularly apparent in articles reporting randomized controlled trials, and especially those that are initiated by industry.

The road to equity for women in academic rheumatology

“…As the future of rheumatology unfolds, and as we strive for excellence in patient care, research and education, we need to address the barriers that lead to inequities faced by patients and practitioners. The studies by Jorge et al 1 and Bagga et al 2 highlight a gender disparity in academic rheumatology that persists despite having been under discussion for many years 10 . Although major gains have been made in the number of women in rheumatology, further work must address the possible causes of inequity between women and men to ensure that women are not only adequately represented and advocated for, but also retained within academic divisions.…”

“…Two articles published in Arthritis & Rheuma to logy have highlighted the persistent gender disparities in promotion, publication and federal funding for women in academic rheumatology in the USA 1,2 . These discrepancies persist in spite of parity in leadership positions.…”

“…The majority of women might be on clinician-educator tracks in academic rheumatology; however, we must also acknow ledge the experience of women on research-focused tracks. Bagga et al conducted a study looking at the percentage of women in lead and senior author positions in articles that report rheumatology-related research 2 . Overall, they found gender parity in first authorship for publications reporting investigator-lead research.…”

“…This discrepancy might reflect the relative lack of women in advanced research careers. As noted by Bagga et al 2 , women face gender bias in publishing and funding mechanisms, thus potentially stalling promotion along important to note) was the promotion track that an academic rheumatologist might find herself on. Women in academic medical centres in the USA tend to be on clinician-educator tracks 4 , whereas Jorge et al used metrics that are predominantly associated with traditional, research-focused tenure tracks to analyse the career advancement of the rheumatology workforce 1 .…”

Would a ‘Rosendo’ by Another Name Smell as Sweet? Gender Disparity in Academic Rank and Publications in Rheumatology

“…Similarly, Bagga et al, whose article also appears in this issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology (2), studied the probability of women being first or senior authors in highly ranked rheumatology journals (2). Of course, the distribution would be dependent on the proportion of male and female academic faculty, since most papers are published by academics.…”