A Glass Ceiling in Orthopedic Surgery: Publication Trends by Gender

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Academic Medicine
• Gender Studies in Science

Background:

• Women remain underrepresented in orthopedic surgery, potentially facing academic advancement barriers.
• Publication and national meeting presentations are crucial for career progression in academic orthopedics.
• Limited data exists on gender disparities in publication rates following orthopedic conference presentations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential gender differences in publication rates after research presentations at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
• To analyze factors influencing publication success, including time to publication and journal impact factor, stratified by author gender.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of research abstracts presented at the 2016 and 2017 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meetings.
• Determination of author gender via institutional and professional networking websites.
• Systematic search of PubMed and Google Scholar to identify subsequent publications and publication timelines.

Main Results:

• Of 1803 abstracts, 1696 had identifiable author gender, with 1213 (71.5%) subsequently published.
• Abstracts by women were significantly less likely to be published (67.1% vs. 72.1%, P=.023) and had a longer median time to publication (20 vs. 17 months, P=.003).
• Discrepancies were most pronounced in adult reconstruction, with lower publication rates (55.1% vs. 70.6%, P=.026) and journal impact factors for women.

Conclusions:

• Female orthopedic surgeons experience significant disadvantages in research publication following conference presentations compared to their male counterparts.
• Factors contributing to these disparities may include domestic responsibilities, mentorship deficits, and implicit bias.
• Addressing these gender-based publication gaps is essential for promoting equity and career advancement for women in orthopedic surgery.