Gender Analysis of Journal of Perinatology Authorship During COVID-19

Abstract Objective To examine authorship gender distributions before and during COVID-19 in the Journal of Perinatology. Study Design We collected data from the Journal of Perinatology website. Author gender was determined using Genderize.io or a systematic internet search. Our primary outcome was the difference between the number of published articles authored by women during the pandemic period (March 2020-May 2021, period two), compared with the preceding 15-month period (period one). We analyzed the data using chi-square tests. Results Publications increased from period one to two by 8.9%. There were slightly more female than male authors overall (52.8%), but fewer as last author (43.3%) for the combined time periods. Female authorship distribution was not different from period one to two. Conclusions Though publications increased overall, authorship gender distribution did not change significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women authors remain underrepresented overall and specifically as last author, considering the majority of current neonatologists are women.