Gender and Invited Authorship in the Journal of Pediatric Urology

Objective To evaluate the evolving role of gender in invited authorship and editorial positions in the Journal of Pediatric Urology. Materials and Methods We recorded editorial board members and first and senior authors for all editorials and invited commentaries for all issues of the Journal of Pediatric Urology from 2005 to August 2018. We also recorded first and senior authors for original research articles from selected years for comparison. Gender was confirmed for each individual by visiting institutional websites and performing internet searches. The same was done for the Societies for Pediatric Urology membership. Results A total of 143 editorials and 162 invited commentaries were identified within the study period, with numbers increasing each year. Overall, these publications had 448 first and senior authorships, of which 10% were female. Of the 898 editorial board positions over the study period, 7% were held by females. The proportion of female authorships increased over time (p = 0.04), while the proportion of female board members did not (p=0.9). Conclusions Female invited authorship has increased over the past 13 years in the Journal of Pediatric Urology. However, editorial board membership has lagged, indicating an opportunity for improvement.