Authorship gender diversity in Allergy and Immunology: analysis of articles published in the Canadian journal of Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology.

Abstract

Background: Gender diversity in authorship enhances the inclusivity and breadth of perspectives in medical research, yet disparities persist across many disciplines, including allergy and immunology. In Canada, women represent the majority of the allergy and immunology workforce, yet it remains unclear whether this is reflected in authorship and academic leadership.

Objective: This study examines trends in gender diversity among authors in Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology (AACI), focusing on first, last, and single-author roles, and explores collaborative trends among women authors.

Methods: Metadata for AACI articles published from 2011 to 2023 were retrieved using the Web of Science database. Author gender was predicted using the genderize.io tool, supplemented by manual verification for ambiguous cases. Articles with undetermined gender were excluded. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were employed to identify trends and associations.

Results: Of 929 articles, 891 with 5,541 authors were included. Women represented 43.4% of all authors. By role, women comprised 50.8% of first authors, 33.8% of last authors, and 29.4% of single authors. The proportion of women-women first and last author pairs increased significantly from 4.8% in 2011 to 26.9% in 2023 (p = 0.03). Articles with women as last authors were more likely to feature women as first authors (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.10-1.93, p = 0.009).

Conclusion: Although there have been positive trends toward gender parity in AACI authorship, disparities persist, particularly in leadership roles and specific article types. Continued efforts are required to foster equitable representation in allergy and immunology research.