Underrepresentation of women among peer reviewers and textbook authors in medicine in Germany

Abstract

A characteristic feature of German science is the "disappearance" of women during the different ranks from high-school to professorship. The goal of the present study was to determine the proportion of women among peer reviewers of the German research council and among editors and authors of textbooks in internal medicine. The candidate list for the election of the peer reviewers of the German research council in November 1999 was checked for the participation of women. Numbers and proportion of women among the reviewer boards for practical medicine, theoretical medicine, biological chemistry/biophysics and biology were determined. Textbooks of internal medicine in German language were checked for female editors and authors. 1.8% of the present reviewers and 4.3% of the candidate reviewers for the election of the reviewer board for practical medicine were female. The corresponding numbers for the reviewer board for theoretical medicine were 3.2% and 8.2%, respectively. The reviewer board for biological chemistry and biophysics had no woman among the present reviewers and 2.1% among the candidate reviewers. Corresponding proportions for the reviewer board for biology are 18.5% and 13.5%, respectively. The average percentage of women among all 4 reviewer boards which are involved in biomedical research is 5.4% among the present reviewers and 6.5% among the proposed reviewers. A similar situation of underrepresentation of women is present among authors of medical textbooks. Among 65 editors and co-editors of 19 textbooks of internal medicine was no woman at all. Among a total of 1092 authors 47 women corresponding to 4.3% were found. These numbers demonstrate that the subject of gender discrimination in higher ranks in medicine and science in Germany is far from being solved.