Are Women Adequately Represented in Leadership Roles in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery? A 10-year Retrospective Evaluation of Society Leadership and Journal Editorial Boards

Abstract

Surgical specialties have traditionally been considered male-dominated fields within medicine. Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) is also a surgical subspecialty whose practitioners largely comprise of men. While many factors contribute to the perpetuation of these trends, past studies have identified the significance of female role models in the decision to pursue a surgical field for female students. The authors thus sought to analyze female representation within key societies and journal editorial boards that play central roles in the academic advancement, organization, and clinical practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States (US).A retrospective review of 2 major OMS journals, the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (JOMS) and Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology (OOOO), and six OMS professional and academic societies, including the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ACOMS), American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons (AACMFS), OMS Foundation, Osteo Science Foundation, was conducted. The names and genders of the members of the editorial board and board of directors between 2011 and 2020 were acquired from their respective sources. Only verified OMSs were included, while non-OMS clinicians and administrative staff were excluded from the final count. OMSs from countries other than the US were also excluded. A line of best fit was determined using simple linear regression to demonstrate temporal trends in female representation in editorial boards and society leadership. The proportion of female OMS faculty and female OMS residents was obtained from AAOMS. Either the Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the proportion of female representation in editorial boards and society leadership with the proportion of full-time female OMS faculty.During the study period of the past 10 years, female representation on the editorial boards of OMS journals grew from 4.5% in 2011 to 10.6% in 2020 (Figure 1). A growth from 3.0% in 2011 to 10.3% in 2020 was similarly observed for the proportion of women in society leadership (Figure 2). The proportion of women in editorial boards (8.9%) did not differ from that of full-time female OMS faculty (11.4%) in 2019 (P = .80). Similarly, female representation on society leadership (10.5%) was not different from that of full-time female OMS faculty in 2019 (P = .84).Although there are significantly fewer female surgeons on OMS journal editorial boards and the boards of OMS societies compared to that of male surgeons, the proportion of female representation in these organizations has been growing over the past decade. Currently, the authors found that women seem to be adequately represented in editorial boards and society leadership in the OMS field.