Silent voices: Uncovering women’s absence in veterinary surgery publications

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 20; no. 8; p. e0330392
• Main Authors: Bowlt Blacklock, Kelly L., Mackay, Jill R. D., Bristow, Poppy, Parakh, Ishita, Paczesna, Alina, Mackay, Fiona, Pratschke, Kathryn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 14.08.2025; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Authorship; Bayesian analysis; Biology and Life Sciences; Career advancement; Datasets; Demographic aspects; Demographics; Female; Females; Gender; Gender equality; Gender equity; Gender pay gap; Humans; Male; Mathematical models; Medicine and Health Sciences; Names; Non-binary gender; Observational studies; Orthopedics; People and Places; Population studies; Practice; Publications - statistics & numerical data; Publishing - statistics & numerical data; Regression analysis; Retrospective Studies; Scholarly publishing; Social Sciences; Statistical models; Surgeons; Surgery; Veterinary Medicine; Veterinary surgery; Women; Women veterinarians; Works; United States; Europe; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0330392

To determine the factors associated with an author being female in Veterinary Surgery journal publications from 2002 to 2023. Retrospective observational study. A total of 2881 Veterinary Surgery papers published between 2002 and 2023. Author gender was inferred using the Gender API and verified manually where necessary; only binary categories (male/female) were assigned. Statistical models (frequentist and Bayesian logistic regressions) were used to predict author gender based on publication year, author order (first, second, last), and surgical emphasis. Overall, 36% of the authors were female, with 43% of first authors, 37% of second authors, and 28% of last authors being women. The proportion of female first authors increased from 29% in 2010 to 60% in 2022, while female last authors ranged from 10% in 2002 to 36% in 2023. The likelihood of an author being female was influenced by the publication year, being the last author, and the subject of orthopaedics. Compared with the demographics of the profession, women remain underrepresented in Veterinary Surgery authorships, particularly in senior author positions and orthopaedic papers. The underrepresentation of female authors highlights persistent gender disparities in veterinary surgery research. Further research is required to understand the factors that influence female authorship, so that institutions and journals can implement targeted initiatives to promote gender equity.