Where Do Gender Disparities in Research Productivity Begin? A Study of Orthopedic Surgery Applicants and Residents

The gender disparity in orthopedic surgery is multifactorial, driven by the lack of female mentorship, limited female leadership in academic roles, and challenges in pursuing academic positions. Research productivity and authorship are areas where these disparities manifest, with women being significantly underrepresented. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate whether gender disparities in orthopedic research productivity are apparent as early as medical school.

A comprehensive analysis was conducted on orthopedic surgery residents from 208 ACGME-accredited programs across the United States. Data were collected between February and April 2024 from publicly accessible resources, covering 4320 residents (927 females, 3393 males). Pre-residency and residency publication data were gathered using Elsevier Scopus Application Programming Interface (APIs). The study compared total publications and first author publications between male and female residents, categorizing them as preresidency or residency publications. p-values were calculated using unpaired t-tests to evaluate gender differences.

Among the 2723 residents with preresidency publications, there was no statistically significant difference between male and female residents in the mean number of publications (p = 0.1267) or first authorship publications (p = 0.9389). During residency, however, male residents had a significantly higher mean number of publications than female residents (p = 0.0002), although no significant difference was observed in first authorships (p = 0.2538).

Our results suggest that while gender disparities in research productivity are not apparent preresidency, they emerge during residency, with male residents producing more publications. This difference is likely influenced by the lack of mentorship and female representation within the field of orthopedic surgery. Addressing these disparities requires targeted efforts to increase female mentorship and support within orthopedic residency programs.