Five-decade profile of women in leadership positions at ophthalmic publications

Objective: To evaluate the balance between the sexes of published ophthalmic material at the editorial, reviewer, and author levels. Design: Cross-sectional study of 3 journals, American Journal of Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology, for 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009. The data were compared with ophthalmologist-in-training and physician profile in major contributing states from North America and Europe during the same period. Results: Of the 3 major ophthalmology journals, none had a female editor-in-chief. For all journals, the proportion of editorial board members who were women increased from 3.3percent in 1969 to 18.8percent in 2009. For all journals and all years, women composed a higher proportion of first authors (29.2percent in 2009) compared with senior authors (22.9percent in 2009), reviewers (18.9percent in 2009), or assistant editors (12.5percent in 2009). There was an abrupt shift toward women after 1989 in first authorship in Ophthalmology (1969, 4.6percent; 1979, 5.4percent; 1989, 12.3percent; and 1999, 20.2percent), Archives of Ophthalmology (1969, 6.6percent; 1979, 5.1percent; 1989, 15.6percent; and 1999, 28.6percent), and American Journal of Ophthalmology (1969, 5.6percent; 1979, 4.2percent; 1989, 9.2percent; and 1999, 23.9percent). There was also an abrupt increase in female senior authorship for American Journal of Ophthalmology after 1989 (1979, 8.5percent; 1989, 8.1percent; and 1999, 18.3percent). The increase in female first authorship during the 5 decades was parallel with the increase in US female physicians. Conclusions: Women ophthalmologists are authoring publications in increasing numbers that match their prevalence in the academic and overall workforce. However, all editors are men. This discrepancy relates to the relatively younger generation of female ophthalmologists or selection bias, a subject that requires further investigation. ©2012 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.AAMC DW, 2010, STUD SEPT 8; Barzansky B, 2007, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V298, P1071, DOI 10.1001-jama.298.9.1071; Barzansky B, 2010, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V304, P1247, DOI 10.1001-jama.2010.1154; Bhattacharyya N, 2000, LARYNGOSCOPE, V110, P358, DOI 10.1097-00005537-200003000-00005; Blakemore LC, 2003, J BONE JOINT SURG AM, V85A, P2477; British Medical Association, 2004, DEM MED SCH DISC PAP; Brotherton SE, 2010, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V304, P1255, DOI 10.1001-jama.2010.1273; Buddeberg-Fischer B, 2006, BMC HEALTH SERV RES, V6, DOI 10.1186-1472-6963-6-137; Burton KR, 2004, CAN MED ASSOC J, V170, P1385, DOI 10.1053-cmaj.1040354; Carr PL, 1998, ANN INTERN MED, V129, P532; Colby K, 2002, ARCH OPHTHALMOL-CHIC, V120, P1738; CROWLEY AE, 1980, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V244, P2828; Darves B, 2005, NEW ENGLAND J ME APR; Davidson JM, 1998, BRIT MED J, V317, P1425; Davis EC, 2011, J AM COLL SURGEONS, V212, P320, DOI 10.1016-j.jamcollsurg.2010.11.008; Department of Veterans Affairs, 2010, AM WARS 0226; Dickersin K, 1998, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V280, P260, DOI 10.1001-jama.280.3.260; Figueiredo JFD, 1997, ACAD MED, V72, P68; Goldacre MJ, 2005, BRIT J PSYCHIAT, V186, P158, DOI 10.1192-bjp.186.2.158; Gravelle H, 2007, BRIT J GEN PRACT, V57, P96; Groves N, 2008, OPHTHALMOLOGY TI FEB; Guelich JM, 2002, J INVEST MED, V50, P412, DOI 10.2310-6650.2002.32475; Harden J, 2001, EUR J WOMENS STUD, V8, P181; Jagsi R, 2009, ANN INTERN MED, V151, P804, DOI 10.7326-0003-4819-151-11-200912010-00009; Jagsi R, 2006, NEW ENGL J MED, V355, P281, DOI 10.1056-NEJMsa053910; Jaschik Scott, 2010, INSIDE HIGHER E 0914; Jeffe DB, 2010, ACAD MED, V85, P947, DOI 10.1097-ACM.0b013e3181dbe77d; Lambert TW, 2003, BRIT MED J, V326, P194, DOI 10.1136-bmj.326.7382.194; McKinstry B, 2006, BMC HEALTH SERV RES, V6, DOI 10.1186-1472-6963-6-56; Nonnemaker L, 2000, NEW ENGL J MED, V342, P399, DOI 10.1056-NEJM200002103420606; Ohba Norio, 2005, Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi, V109, P115; Poppas Athena, 2008, J Am Coll Cardiol, V52, P2215, DOI 10.1016-j.jacc.2008.09.008; REISER LW, 1993, AM J PSYCHIAT, V150, P1392; Robinson DH, 1998, CONTEMP EDUC PSYCHOL, V23, P331, DOI 10.1006-ceps.1997.0967; ROWLEY BD, 1990, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V264, P822, DOI 10.1001-jama.264.7.822; Shah DN, 2010, OPHTHAL EPIDEMIOL, V17, P1, DOI 10.3109-09286580903324892; Sidhu R, 2009, J ROY SOC MED, V102, P337, DOI 10.1258-jrsm.2009.080378; Springen K, WOMEN MED; Stratton TD, 2005, ACAD MED, V80, P400, DOI 10.1097-00001888-200504000-00020; van der Horst K, 2010, MED EDUC, V44, P595, DOI 10.1111-j.1365-2923.2010.03631.x; Whitmire R, 2010, WHY BOYS FAIL SAVING; WILKES MS, 1995, J GEN INTERN MED, V10, P443, DOI 10.1007-BF0259991611