Gender equity: Overview

Abstract
Background: The representation of women among leaders in the field of anesthesia continues to trail that of their male counterparts. This qualitative study was conducted to understand the pathway of leadership acquisition among women in the field of anesthesiology.

Methods: Using constructivist grounded theory, we sought to determine whether there were specific internal or external factors that were common to women in leadership in the specialty field of anesthesiology, and specifically, how they obtained leadership positions. Semistructured interviews were conducted for data collection. A total of 26 women in leadership positions in anesthesiology participated in this study.

Results: The analysis of these interviews resulted in the development of 4 common themes related to career pathways for these women in leadership. Each theme was examined in depth to determine the qualities necessary for individuals to advance in the field and the pathway to obtaining leadership positions. The findings of this study showed that early-career, high-value mentorship and sponsorship were important factors in leadership acquisition. Most participants (n = 20; 76%) had early mentors. Of those with early mentorship, 13 (65%) had high-value mentors, who we define as someone with power or authority. Sponsorship was the leading factor contributing to leadership acquisition.

Conclusions: The results of this qualitative study may serve as a guide for encouraging female anesthesiologists with leadership aspirations. We suggest that the specialty field of anesthesiology institute targeted measures to help increase the percentage of women leadership with formal sponsorship programs at the local and national levels.

Abstract
Purpose: Although it is important to recognize gender disparities in publishing to achieve gender diversity, women's authorship in Japan remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the percentage and analyze the trends of articles authored and published in anesthesiology journals by Japanese female authors.

Methods: The genders of the first and last authors affiliated with Japanese institutions were surveyed in the Journal of Anesthesia (JA) (1990, 1995, and 2000-2022) and 11 international anesthesiology journals (2010-2022).

Results: We included 845 and 819 original research articles from JA in the analyses of the first and last authors, respectively. The proportion of female first authors significantly increased from 41 (11.7%) out of 351 before 2009 to 119 (24.1%) out of 494 after 2010 (p < 0.001). The proportion of female last authors was 11 (3.3%) out of 335 before 2009 and 22 (4.5%) out of 484 after 2010, respectively, with no significant difference (p = 0.470). We included 624 and 572 original research articles from international anesthesiology journals in the analyses of first and last authors, respectively. Among these, there were 134 (21.5%) and 23 (4.0%) female first and last authors, respectively. These proportions in international anesthesiology journals did not significantly differ from those in JA (p = 0.334, p = 0.789, respectively).

Conclusion: The percentage of female first authors has increased, commensurate with the percentage of female anesthesiologists. However, the percentage of female last authors has not increased and remains low in Japan.

This article is being published concurrently in Journal of Pain, PAIN, European Journal of Pain, Pain Medicine, Canadian Journal of Pain, Journal of Pain Research, Clinical Journal of Pain, and PAIN Reports. The articles are identical except for minor stylistic and spelling differences in keeping with each journal’s style. Citation from any of the journals can be used when citing this article.