Factors Associated with Gender Disparity on Editorial Boards of Anesthesiology Journals: A Cross-Sectional Study

The number of women in academic medicine has increased over recent decades. However, the representation of women in anesthesiology is a subject of ongoing discussion.

This prospective cross-sectional study aims to determine gender balance on editorial boards (EBs) of anesthesiology journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded in the Web of Science. The gender of EB members and their titles were determined based on data obtained from the journal websites between March 10 and 25, 2024. Geographical characteristics of journals and publishers, journal metrics (including the 2022 impact factor, five-year impact factor, H-index, and publication count), journal quartiles, and categories were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, Fisher's exact tests, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent factors.

Women comprised 24.4% of EB members and 5.0% in the role of editor-in-chief. The category of neurosciences (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-2.29; p=0.006) and employment as an associate editor (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.09-1.92; p=0.011) were independently associated with gender parity. Conversely, the role of editor-in-chief as a leadership position (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.04-0.71; p=0.015) and Japan as the publisher's country (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.59; p=0.009) were independently associated with gender disparity on EBs of anesthesiology journals.

To reduce gender disparity on the EBs of anesthesiology journals, further action is required. It is recommended that authorities in anesthesiology refine current policies through the implementation of objective measures.