Gender disparity trends in genitourinary oncology academic publishing over the past 3 decades: A bibliometric analysis

Michaella Alexandrou; Tatiana S Driva; Stavriani Makri; Melina Nikolakea; Eleni Routsi; Nikolaos Spyrou; Pavlos Msaouel; Stepan M Esagian

doi:10.1016/j.urolonc.2023.06.009

Gender disparity trends in genitourinary oncology academic publishing over the past 3 decades: A bibliometric analysis

Urol Oncol. 2023 Oct;41(10):432.e21-432.e27. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2023.06.009. Epub 2023 Aug 10.

Authors

Michaella Alexandrou¹, Tatiana S Driva², Stavriani Makri¹, Melina Nikolakea¹, Eleni Routsi¹, Nikolaos Spyrou³, Pavlos Msaouel⁴, Stepan M Esagian⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Oncology Working Group, Society of Junior Doctors, Athens, Greece.
² Oncology Working Group, Society of Junior Doctors, Athens, Greece; First Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
³ Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
⁴ Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
⁵ Oncology Working Group, Society of Junior Doctors, Athens, Greece; Department of Medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals / Jacobi, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. Electronic address: stepesag@gmail.com.

PMID: 37573196
DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2023.06.009

Abstract

Objectives: To examine gender disparities in genitourinary (GU) oncology academic publishing over the past three decades.

Materials and methods: We performed a bibliometric analysis of eight academic journals featuring GU oncology research articles: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, European Journal of Cancer, European Urology, Journal of Urology, BJU International, Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, and Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations. After selecting four time points (1990, 2000, 2010, 2020), we recorded the gender of the first and senior authors and investigated their association with independent variables including publication year, research field, and geographic continent. Results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: A total of 14,786 articles were included in our analyses. Females comprised 25.7% of first and 18.1% of senior authors. Compared to 1990, there was a trend of progressively higher female first author (OR 1.47 [95% CI 1.27-1.69] in 2000; 2.28 [95% CI 2.00-2.59] in 2010; 3.10 [95% CI 2.71-3.55] in 2020) and senior author positions (OR 1.23 [95% CI 1.05-1.45] in 2000; 1.67 [95% CI 1.45-1.93] in 2010; 2.55 [95% CI 2.20-2.96] in 2020). Compared to GU oncology, non-GU oncology articles were more likely to have female first (OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.38-2.86) or senior authors (OR 2.61, 95% CI 2.35-2.91). Articles from Asia (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.38-0.51), Africa (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.22-0.91), and international collaborations (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.50-0.76) had a lower proportion of female first authors compared to North America. First authors were significantly more likely to be female when senior authors were also female (OR 2.45, 95% CI 2.23-2.69).

Conclusions: Despite the bridging trend demonstrated, GU oncology remains a male-predominant discipline. Female leadership and mentorship are pivotal in achieving gender parity in the academic medicine community.

Keywords: Female leadership; Gender inequalities; Gender parity; Genitourinary oncology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Authorship*
Bibliometrics
Female
Humans
Male
Medical Oncology
Publishing
Urology*