Trends in female leadership at high-profile otolaryngology journals, 1997-2017

To determine the proportion and relative advancement of women in leadership positions at high-impact otolaryngology journals.

Nine clinical otolaryngology journals were selected based on high impact factor and subspecialty representation (journal impact factor, 2016: 1.16-2.95). The proportion of women editorial board members associate and/or section editors, and/or editor-in-chief was measured from 1997 to 2017. Comparisons were made to the proportion of women otolaryngology faculty at U.S. medical schools in 2017.

From 1997 to 2017, female editorial board membership increased from 7.2% (range: 0.0%-12.8%) to 17.7% (range: 10.9%-38.9%) (P = 0.0001). In 2017, the proportion of female editorial board members was significantly less than the proportion of female academic otolaryngology faculty (17.7% vs. 27.7%, P = 0.0001), and there was threefold variation between journals. From 1997 to 2017, the proportion of female associate and/or section editors increased from 9.3% (range: 0.0-27.3) to 20.9% (range: 5.3% to 45.5%) (P = 0.09). In 2017, the proportion of female associate and/or section editors was not significantly different than the proportion of female associate or full professor academic otolaryngology faculty (20.9% vs. 19.5%, P = 0.73), but there was ninefold variation between journals.

Women were underrepresented on eight of nine otolaryngology editorial boards but appropriately represented at the associate and/or section editorship level. There was remarkable variation in representation at individual journals, which may provide future opportunities to examine best practices. Disparity exists in leadership at the most senior level of these high-profile otolaryngology journals: none had women editor-in-chiefs.

NA Laryngoscope, 129:2031-2035, 2019.