Gender disparities in ophthalmology academic conferences in Japan

Despite a rise in the number of female physicians, their underrepresentation persists. This disparity grows with increasing academic rank, resulting in the loss of professionals within academic medical institutions. The purpose of the present study is to investigate gender disparity in the Academy of Ophthalmology in Japan. A retrospective observational study was conducted. The number of the first presenters and moderators in 24 of the Japanese academic congresses held in 2023 was assessed. Data of the first presenters and moderators were collected from the website or abstract book of each congress. Gender and the nationality (Japanese or non-Japanese) of the first presenters and moderators were estimated from their given names and photographs. The study comprised 1325 (25.2%) women and 3933 (74.8%) men across all congresses. Among them, 1116 (27.2%) of the first presenters and 209 (18.0%) of the moderators were women. When the sessions were classified into 4 categories as nominated/guest/special lectures, award lectures, symposium/instruction/educational lectures, and free paper/posters, female representation was 24.5%, 20.7%, 20.9%, and 31.4% among first presenters, and 17.0%, 11.4%, 16.3%, and 21.6% among moderators, respectively. The percentage of non-Japanese first presenters was 1.3% in women and 1.4% in men, and 2.4% and 0.0% in the moderators, respectively. The participation rate of women and non-Japanese individuals in the academic congresses of ophthalmology in Japan is remarkably low. In contrast, Japanese men account for the majority of participants, highlighting a significant imbalance. This suggests a lack of diversity within the society's membership.