Female authorship in musculoskeletal radiology research has seen a steady climb over the last two decades—a positive trend that is indicative of progress in a field where leadership is largely dominated by males.
These findings were the result of an analysis of gender-specific authorship for three major radiology journals across three continents—Skeletal Radiology, Clinical Radiology and the Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging. Experts observed a substantial upward trend of female authorship in Skeletal Radiology from 2000 to 2010, increasing 13% during that duration before rising again from 2010 to 2021 by an additional 5%.
The results of this analysis were published on July 15 in Clinical Radiology. Corresponding author R. Botchu, from the Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology at Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, UK, and colleagues discussed the importance of female authorship:
Research and publications are crucial for advancement in any field of science and medicine. Trends of publications by female authors and order of authorship can be used as proxy for their current involvement in academia, as first authors are primarily responsible for carrying out the project and the last author is the research leader.”
The analysis included a total of 325 musculoskeletal articles. Across the board, Skeletal Radiology recorded the greatest increases in first female authors, with first female authorship rising from 0.8% in 2000 to 4.9% in 2010, and to 5.4% in 2020.
By contrast, Clinical Radiology saw a reduction of female authorship, dropping from 13.8% in 2000 to just 7% in 2020.
For the Indian Journal of Radiology and Imaging, the authors highlighted a nearly 10% decrease in studies that contained no female authors.
The authors noted that women interested in pursuing research and other academic goals might be inhibited by time constraints owing to pressures at home. Conversely, men have been shown to spend more time at work, enabling them to participate in research activities more frequently. This can be addressed by allowing radiologists to have allotted timeframes within a shift dedicated solely to research, the authors suggested.
“The gender gap in academic MSK radiology is real and needs dedicated measures, at multiple levels,” the authors wrote. “Achieving a ‘gender-neutral’ environment tomorrow needs ‘gender-sensitive’ steps to be taken today.”
The study abstract can be viewed in Clinical Radiology.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.