Gender Differences in Hepatology Medical Literature.

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Academic Medicine
• Medical Publishing

Background:

• Studies indicate gender disparities in academic medicine, with men often showing superior performance metrics.
• These differences extend to publication rates, citation counts, remuneration, and funding acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the existence and extent of gender disparity in authorship within liver-related medical publications.
• To analyze gender representation among first and senior authors in key hepatology journals.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of liver-related original papers, editorials, and reviews published between January 2014 and 2016.
• Data collection included the gender of first and senior authors from five prominent gastroenterology and hepatology journals.
• Gender was determined for 2424 articles, with 232 excluded due to indeterminable gender.

Main Results:

• Of the analyzed articles, 65.1% of first authors were male and 34.9% were female.
• Only 20.3% of papers with multiple authors featured a female senior author.
• A significant gender difference was observed: 72% of original papers and 71% of reviews/editorials had a male first or senior author.
• When the senior author was male, only 32.9% of first authors were female (p < 0.00001).

Conclusions:

• A significant gender disparity is evident in hepatology publications, particularly in senior authorship roles.
• While female authorship percentages align with membership in organizations like the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), senior positions remain disproportionately held by men.
• The data underscore the critical need for enhanced female mentorship in hepatology, as fewer women achieve first authorship when senior authors are male.