Trends of female authorship in speech-language pathology publications over the last decade

Authors

Sandhya Ganesan, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Tatiana Ferraro, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Sana Smaoui, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait sana.smaoui@ku.edu.kw.
Leena Zitoun, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Lara Pramanik, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Erin Anne Cardman, Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

7-5-2025

Journal

BMJ open

Volume

15

Issue

7

DOI

10.1136/bmjopen-2025-098811

Keywords

Education, Medical; Research Design; Speech pathology

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyse the speech-language pathology (SLP) literature from 2012 to 2022 and evaluate authorship trends and factors associated with gender disparities. DESIGN AND OUTCOME MEASURES: Authorship across journals published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) was evaluated. Outcomes collected from each article included the gender of the first and senior authors, author department affiliations, study type, reported funding source and the country of origin. Three sets of linear regression models were explored to determine the probability of male first authorship, of male senior authorship, and of a study being funded. RESULTS: A total of 2754 articles were identified for inclusion. The majority of the literature was authored by females, with 77% of first authors and 68% of senior authors being female. Studies with a male senior author were shown to be 4.05-4.67 times more likely to have a male first author than with a female senior author. Male senior authors were over-represented relative to their proportion of ASHA membership compared with female senior authors. Male authorship was associated with certain subtopics, including voice, stuttering and motor speech. Funding probability decreased for all authors regardless of gender between 2012 and 2022. CONCLUSIONS: Implicit gender bias and societal gender stereotypes lead to a greater number of women in the field of SLP; the same biases and stereotypes often limit the research productivity and academic leadership potential of women in the field. Addressing these biases and stereotypes is vital to move towards gender equity in the field.

APA Citation

Ganesan, Sandhya; Ferraro, Tatiana; Smaoui, Sana; Zitoun, Leena; Pramanik, Lara; and Cardman, Erin Anne, "Trends of female authorship in speech-language pathology publications over the last decade" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 7639.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/7639

Department

School of Medicine and Health Sciences Student Works