Gender differences in first authorship of randomized controlled trials from India
Bharat Rawlley1, Afzal Parvez Khan2, Shrey Chopra2
1Department of Internal Medicine, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, United States of America.
Contemporary Clinical Trials
|January 10, 2023
Summary
Women comprised 30% of first authors in Indian randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from 2011-2020, with no significant change over time. This highlights persistent gender disparity in clinical trial leadership, necessitating increased efforts for women
Area of Science:
- Clinical Trials Research
- Gender Studies in Medicine
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Trial leadership significantly influences study conduct.
- Gender composition of Indian randomized controlled trial (RCT) leadership remains unquantified.
- This study addresses the gap in understanding gender representation in Indian RCTs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the gender composition of first authors of RCTs published from India.
- To analyze gender distribution trends in RCT leadership over a decade (2011-2020).
Main Methods:
- A systematic search of the PubMed database was conducted using the keyword "randomized controlled trial".
- Studies included were classified as RCTs, with first author affiliation in India, published between 2011 and 2020.
- First author gender was determined using Gender-API and manual verification.
Main Results:
- A total of 4136 RCTs were analyzed, with gender identified for 4056 (98%) first authors.
- Women constituted 30% (1198) and men 70% (2858) of identified first authors.
- No significant change in gender distribution was observed over the ten-year period (P = 0.78).
Conclusions:
- Gender disparity persists in the leadership of RCTs originating from India.
- Current gender distribution in RCT leadership requires significant improvement.
- Greater efforts are needed to promote the inclusion of women as leaders in clinical trials.
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