Introduction
Women have been historically underrepresented in gastrointestinal endoscopy research. Understanding the current patterns of female authorship is essential to assess progress and identify persistent gaps within this field.
Aims & Methods
This study aimed to evaluate the representation of women as first and senior (last) authors the three highest-impact journals in gastrointestinal endoscopy (Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and Digestive Endoscopy) from 2015 to 2024. For each publication, we extracted bibliometric data of original articles, review articles and editorials, including the names of the first and senior authors, their primary country of affiliation, and the year of publication. Countries and territories were categorized by geographic region. Author gender was predicted using Genderize.io software (https://genderize.io), and only authors with ≥80% gender prediction accuracy were included.
Results
We analyzed 4,414 publications. Among first authors, 885 (20.15%) were women from 36 countries and 3,507 (79.85%) were men from 49 countries. Most female first authors were affiliated with institutions in North America (36.61%), while most male first authors were based in Asia (40.82%). The greatest gender disparity among first authors was observed in Asia (male-to-female ratio = 6.8), and the lowest in Europe (male-to-female ratio = 2.5). Among senior authors, 433 (11.51%) were women from 32 countries and 3,328 (88.49%) were men from 47 countries. Female senior authors were most frequently from Europe (38.57%), whereas male senior authors were again predominantly from Asia (41.12%). The largest disparity in senior authorship was in Oceania (male-to-female ratio = 44), and the lowest in Latin America (male-to-female ratio = 4.1). Notably, the odds of a woman being the first author nearly doubled when the senior author was also a woman. Overall, over the 10-year period, the male-to-female ratio among first authors improved from 4.46 (2015–2016) to 3.25 (2023–2024), and among senior authors from 9.10 to 6.43.
Conclusion
Women remain underrepresented in first and senior authorship positions in gastrointestinal endoscopy research. These disparities may be influenced by limited female representation and mentorship in the field. Although gender gaps have narrowed over the past decade, sustained and coordinated efforts are needed to promote equity in academic publishing.