Gender Parity in Geriatrics Editorial Boards

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
• Academic Publishing
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Gender equality is a UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
• Gender disparity hinders scientific and economic progress.
• Underrepresentation of women in academic publishing is a recognized issue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the gender distribution of editors-in-chief and editorial board members in high-impact geriatrics journals.
• To identify and quantify gender gaps in leadership positions within gerontology publications.

Main Methods:

• Selection of 47 geriatrics and gerontology journals using Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR) 2021 and Scopus Classification Codes.
• Analysis of publicly available data to determine the gender of editors-in-chief and editorial board members.
• Quantitative assessment of female representation in editorial roles.

Main Results:

• A total of 65 editors-in-chief and 2414 editorial board members were analyzed.
• Women held 32% of editor-in-chief positions (21 out of 65).
• Women constituted 36% of editorial board members (876 out of 2414).

Conclusions:

• Women are underrepresented in editorial leadership and on editorial boards of prominent geriatrics journals.
• This underrepresentation persists despite women forming 60% of the geriatric medical workforce.
• Addressing gender disparities in academic publishing is crucial for scientific advancement.