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Gender Composition in Occupational Therapy Journals' Editorial Boards
Cristina Mendoza-Holgado1,2, Pablo A Cantero-Garlito3, Sabina Barrios-Fernandez2
1Health and Social Services Department, Government of Extremadura, 10004 Cáceres, Spain.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Women constitute a majority on Occupational Therapy journal Editorial Boards (EBs). However, female representation in these leadership roles is lower than the percentage of women in the occupational therapy profession.
Area of Science:
- Health and Social Sciences
- Occupational Therapy
- Bibliometrics
Background:
- Gender representation in academic publishing is crucial for equitable scientific advancement.
- Previous studies have highlighted gender disparities in various scientific fields, necessitating an analysis within Occupational Therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the gender distribution of Editorial Board Members (EBMs) in Occupational Therapy journals.
- To identify potential gender-based imbalances in journal leadership positions within the field.
Main Methods:
- Identified Occupational Therapy journals using Scimago Journal and Country Rank (SJR) and Journal Citation Report (JCR).
- Collected data on Editorial Board Member (EBM) gender, position, publisher, specialty, country, and journal quartile for 37 journals.
- Calculated gender proportions and compared them against the overall female practitioner percentage.
Main Results:
- A total of 667 EBMs were analyzed: 31% male and 69% female.
- Women form a majority (69%) on Occupational Therapy journal Editorial Boards.
- Six journals had below-majority female representation, and four lacked gender parity (<50% female).
Conclusions:
- While women are the majority on Occupational Therapy journal Editorial Boards, significant underrepresentation persists compared to the proportion of female practitioners.
- Further efforts are needed to achieve equitable gender balance in journal leadership roles, reflecting the profession's demographics.
