Proportion of women on the editorial committees of dental journals in the world

Abstract

Objective: Despite the increase in the female contribution to careers in the health sector, Dentistry has
shown slow progress towards gender equality. The objective of this study was to quantify the proportion of
women in the editorial committees of dental journals in the world. Material and Methods: Dental journals
published in the world were compiled, which met inclusion criteria: dental journals indexed to Scopus in
their 2020 edition, access to the composition of the editorial committee. Non-current journals, without access
to their website, journals not classified in a quartile, and journals with publishers outside their country of
origin, were excluded. The selection of journals was carried out from January 11 to 19, 2021. The analysis
variables were the composition of the editorial committee, dental specialty according to the SJR category
and the title of the journal, quartile of the journal, and country of origin of the editorial headquarters.
Results: One hundred eighty nine journals were identified. Women represented 22.91% for the position of
director or editor-in-chief. With respect to associate editors and members of the editorial board, 24.76%
and 22.91% were women, respectively. Likewise, greater female participation was observed in Q2 and Q1
journals and in thematic areas of Geriatric Dentistry, Dental Education, Dental Public Health, and Basic
Sciences. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the low proportion of women on the editorial boards of
dental journals in the world.
KEYWORDS
Gender; Women; Dentistry; Editor; Editorial board; Research.