Numerical Ascent of Female Maxillofacial Surgeons: Reflection of Its Impact on Authorship and Leadership Profiles in the Indian and Global Scenarios

The rise in women enrollment in maxillofacial surgery and its correlation with their academic productivity or leadership positions needs better analysis. An observational study was designed to evaluate the quantum of scientific contribution of female maxillofacial surgeons and their leadership roles. The study sample involved authors of 2 journals, Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery (JMOS) and International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (IJOMS) during the period between 2010 and 2019 and a list of Editorial Board members holding office in 2019, from 10 journals. The cohort was analyzed for authorship criteria which included gender (male/female), authorship position (first/corresponding), and affiliation (Indian/International). The outcome measures were Academic Productivity and Academic Leadership. The female surgeons accounted for 17.92% of authorships when compared to 82.08% by their male counterparts. The contribution of the Indian female authors was 20.59% when compared to the JMOS (17.55%). The Indian female authors accounted for 6.45% of the total first authorships by female surgeons in IJOMS and 61.11% of the total editorial positions held by female surgeons. The Indian women demonstrate academic productivity which is on par with the international benchmark and stronger leadership positions than the international women surgeons.