Females Are First Authors, Sole Authors, and Reviewers of Entomology Publications Significantly Less Often Than Males

Abstract

Abstract Female authors and reviewers are significantly underrepresented in entomology journals, consistent with many other STEM journals. During the years 2001 through 2017, women published significantly fewer first-author and single-author articles in five ESA journals and the Annual Review of Entomology. Female reviewers are also significantly outnumbered by male reviewers in ESA journals. Results show that in general, female first author and reviewer proportions are rising over time but progress is slow, about 1% yearly for both authors and reviewers. There are a greater number of female authors than female reviewers, but proportions are significantly related to each other, suggesting that female authors and reviewers reinforce the presence of each other. Potential contributing factors for these results include peer review, funding levels for research, time available for research, and women’s self-confidence and collaboration with other scientists.