Trends in Women Authorship in Rheumatology Trials

This research article presents a comprehensive analysis of trends and influencing factors regarding women's authorship in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in the field of rheumatology from 2009 to 2023. The study examines a total of 1,092 RCTs, identifying the gender of authors using the Gender API service. The findings indicate that women authors account for approximately 39.8% of all authors in these trials. The analysis reveals that women are more likely to be authors in African-based RCTs and when the last author is a woman. Conversely, women authorship is less frequent in Asian and European RCTs and in industry-funded studies. The study highlights the persistent under-representation of women in senior author positions, emphasizing the need for strategies to address the gender gap in research. The article aims to provide insights into the factors influencing women's authorship and the temporal trends observed in this domain.