Disparities In Women Research Articles

Tracing the educational journey of Indian women across generations: A study of multigenerational education mobility in India

This study investigates intergenerational mobility and socioeconomic disparities in women's education in India, utilizing data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1. It uniquely examines three generations of women: the second generation (G2), aged 45–75, who reported on their own education, their mother's education (G1), and their daughter's education (G3). Despite India's economic growth over the past three decades, women's educational status remains poor, influenced by enduring gender discrimination. The study constructs educational transition matrices and measures two mobility indices: M1, which represents the expected proportion of daughters transitioning from their mother's educational level, and M2, which measures the extent of transitions between educational categories. M1 is further broken down into upward and downward mobility. The findings highlight significant progress in educational mobility across generations, with notable increases in upward mobility from the grandmother-mother to the mother-daughter generations, indicating a positive trend. Urban women show significantly higher levels of educational mobility compared to their rural counterparts. However, the study also identifies a decline in multigenerational educational mobility among Muslim women. Persistent caste-based disparities in education are observed, although there is a promising trend of narrowing gaps in recent years. Additionally, the study reveals substantial progress in educational attainment among the most economically disadvantaged groups compared to previous generations.

Autoimmune Health Crisis: An Inclusive Approach to Addressing Disparities in Women in the United States.

Autoimmune diseases are identified by the chronic inflammation and tissue damage resulting from unregulated immune responses throughout the body. Systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis are among the 80+ characterized conditions, 80% of which are diagnosed in women. The compounded effects of biological sex and hormones; social identities, such as age, race, and gender; and other determinants on health highlight a pressing need for an inclusive approach to address disparities for women living with autoimmune diseases. Such an approach must recognize and incorporate intersectional experiences of diverse populations of women into biomedical research, clinical practice, and policy solutions. Research must prioritize inclusive designs, data collection, and representation of women in clinical studies. Clinical care must focus on developing guidelines and promoting patient-provider interactions that meet a range of demographic needs. Health care policies must support financial investments in research and equitable access to care. This review provides an overview of the impacts of autoimmune diseases on women's health through an intersectional lens, identifies persistent gaps in addressing the unique needs of women, and proposes recommendations for a comprehensive, equity-focused approach to mitigate disparities and better serve all women at risk for or living with autoimmune diseases.

Examining the impact of socioeconomic and demographic factors on women’s health: A survey-based study of menstrual hygiene, pregnancy, and postpregnancy care in the Gonds Tribe of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Gonds tribe, indigenous to the Sonbhadra region in Uttar Pradesh, India, faces unique challenges and disparities in women’s health, particularly in the domains of menstrual health, pregnancy, and postpregnancy care. This study aims to shed light on the demographic patterns of these critical aspects of women’s health among the Gonds tribe, providing valuable insights for healthcare interventions and policy development. Aim: This study explores the demographic and socioeconomic factors affecting Gond women’s health, focusing on menstrual hygiene and life stages before, during, and after pregnancy. Methodology: We collected data on menstruation wellness behaviors, pregnancy experiences, and postpregnancy care by conducting an extensive survey among Gonds women in the Sonbhadra area. In addition, focus groups and qualitative interviews were used to acquire greater knowledge of the socioeconomic and social factors impacting these health-distinctive characteristics. Result: The Chi-square test shows no significant link between age group and menstrual hygiene product use. Young women (under 18) mostly use cotton cloth (56%). Women aged 18–49 prefer cotton cloth (53.2%). Women 50+ use cotton cloth (43.2%), cotton (29.7%), and sanitary napkins (27%). Marital status affects product use and cycle regularity. Cultural beliefs and education influence healthcare decisions. Menstrual hygiene mainly involves cotton cloth (45%) and cotton (26.1%). Conclusion: In conclusion, our analysis uncovers key insights: Marital status, healthcare access, education, cultural beliefs, and reproductive health practices influence community healthcare decisions. These findings inform tailored interventions to enhance health outcomes and equity.

DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY AND GENDER EQUALITY: CASE STUDY OF THE 2023 WOMEN'S SOCCER CUP IN SOCIAL AUDIT AND CITIZEN TRANSPARENCY

This article aims to analyze deliberative democracy, based on Jürgen Habermas' theory, applying it to the context of public and private entities, with a focus on gender equality in the 2023 Women's Football World Cup. The article will present a replicable model of social auditing, integrating Habermas' communicative rationality with the guidelines of the Brazilian Courts of Auditors. A connection will also be established between communicative rationality and administrative practices for the management of complex systems, since they share foundations of validity, correctness, sincerity, and truthfulness. The questions are based on the reports produced by the international media during the mega-event, using gender inequality as a category. The central argument lies in measuring the permeability of democratic civic common sense and identifying barriers to communication and effective engagement. The article seeks to contribute to citizen education and the integration of theory and practice in the face of the challenges of participatory democracy. The research presents two important results, the first confirms recent research on gender inequality in sport, as media coverage demonstrated disparities in women's football, and the second is the failure to comply with the rules of citizen transparency of sports entities.

Abstract A166: Towards Health Justice: Implementing Structural Competency in Women's Healthcare Education Towards Health Justice

Abstract Introduction: Significant health disparities persist in women's health, particularly among marginalized groups like racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with disabilities. Addressing these inequities requires training healthcare providers in structural competency to recognizing how social, economic, political, and cultural structures influence health outcomes beyond just individual factors. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the literature on structural competence in connection to health inequalities in women's health. The objectives include: (1) Reviewing the role of structural competence in addressing health disparities among in reproductive health ; (2) Analysing instructional methodologies related to structural competencies; and (3) Developing a strategic framework to address racial health disparities in women's health through structural competence. Methodology: A literature review was conducted using the Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases. After applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, 463 publications were retained from 905 articles published between 2010 and 2023. Findings: Major health disparities experienced by women include lack of access to quality healthcare services, discrimination from providers, higher rates of chronic illnesses, mental health issues, and lack of autonomy in reproductive health decisions and influenced by cultural norms and expectations. Racial/ethnic minority women face additional disparities due to language/cultural barriers, provider biases, impact of social determinants, and discrimination.Structural competency approaches highlighted include using community health workers (CHWs), analyzing electronic health record (EHR) data to identify disparities, advocating for policy changes targeting social determinants, and integrating structural competency training in medical curricula.While no specific successful policy examples are provided, recommendations include expanding healthcare coverage, supporting community clinics, and addressing socioeconomic inequities through systemic interventions. Conclusion: Integrating structural competency into medical education holds transformative potential for alleviating persistent health disparities in women's health by equipping providers to recognize and confront the underlying structural factors perpetuating these inequities. Citation Format: Daina Charnelle Fougang, Dianne Wepa A/P Wepa, Charles Charnelle Mpofu. Towards Health Justice: Implementing Structural Competency in Women's Healthcare Education Towards Health Justice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A166.

Disparities in Women's Cardiovascular Health in Brazil

Disparities in Women's Cardiovascular Health in Brazil

Gender Disparities in the Academic Performance of Neurology Residents in Portugal.

Implicit bias has been linked to gender disparities in medical careers, impacting not only access to leadership positions but also early career opportunities. We aimed to evaluate if there were differences in the assessment of Neurology residents according to gender. We collected publicly available grades and rankings of two major evaluations that residents are submitted to, one at the beginning and another at the end of the neurology residency program, the National Board Exam and neurology examination, respectively. The National Board Examination is a multiple-choice gender-blinded evaluation, while the neurology examination is an oral gender-unblinded evaluation. We found that 36.5% of women and 21.6% of men were in the first quartile of the National Board Examination ranking, which reflects a similar representation among top classifications when assessed through a gender-blinded examination. On the other hand, the percentage of men who were in the top classification of NE, a gender-unblinded evaluation, was more than twice as high compared to women (37.8% vs 18.3%, p < 0.05). The findings of the present study may imply that there could be a disparity in women's career progression among neurology residents in Portugal, although the recruitment seems balanced between genders.

Women's Empowerment in India: State-Wise Insights From the National Family Health Survey 5.

Background Women's empowerment is critical for achieving gender equality and societal progress. Despite various efforts, significant disparities in women's empowerment persist across different states in India. This study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of women's empowerment using data from the National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS-5). Methods Data from the NFHS-5, collected between June 2019 and April 2021, were used. The Women's Empowerment Index (WEI) was calculated for each of the 28 states based on four dimensions: economic empowerment, decision-making, health and nutrition, and gender roles. Statistical analysis, including Pearson and Spearman correlations, was conducted to assess associations between WEI and various socioeconomic variables. Results The WEI ranged from 17.4 to 27.4, with a mean of 21.3 ± 2.6. Goa, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh had the highest WEI scores, while West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana had the lowest. Economic empowerment was highest in Karnataka, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Decision-making scores were highest in Nagaland, Mizoram, and Goa. Health and nutrition scores were highest in Goa, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand. Positive gender roles were most prominent in Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Goa. Significant correlations were found between WEI and per capita net state domestic product, literacy rates, median age at marriage, and total fertility rate. Conclusion The study highlights substantial variations in women's empowerment across Indian states, influenced by socioeconomic, health, and educational factors. Targeted interventions are needed to address specific barriers and promote gender equality. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions and explore additional factors influencing women's empowerment.

Disparity by caste and tribe: Understanding women's empowerment and health outcomes in India

AimWomen's empowerment status varies greatly in India according to caste, class, ethnicity and region. This paper aims to investigate the caste/tribe disparity in women's empowerment by region, the main correlates of each domain of empowerment, and the association of women's empowerment with nutritional and health care access outcomes, specifically anaemia, menstrual hygiene, and institutional delivery. MethodologyUsing National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–2021) data, we have created a modified survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) using principal component analysis with Oblique varimax rotation. The first four components are interpreted as an attitude to violence, freedom of movement, decision-making power and social independence. Several multivariate regression models were used to understand the factor associated with empowerment and the association of women's empowerment with different health outcomes. ResultsThe results indicate that women from the forward castes are the most empowered in most domains except decision-making. However, after controlling other background variables, the forward castes women are found to be the most empowered in attitude to violence, whereas Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes women were found to be the most empowered women in decision-making. With regards to social independence, deprived castes women are more empowered than the forward castes women. The likelihood of empowerment in social independence domain increases with increasing wealth. There are wide regional variations in empowerment level between different social groups. Caste/tribe identity plays a significant role in determining health outcomes in India. Among all empowerment domains, social independence emerges as the most significant associated factor with improved health across all caste/tribe groups. ConclusionThe path to women's empowerment in India must recognize the intersectionality of caste/tribe identities, and address regional disparities. Social independence emerges as a critical determinant across all caste/tribe groups for improving health. Measures should be taken to empower women through the underlying factors of social independence.

Gender disparities in gastroenterology and hepatology conferences: The journey towards equality.

This study scrutinizes gender representation in invited faculty and conference committee leadership at key gastroenterology and hepatology conferences in Pakistan over fiveyears, exploring the impact of the "glass ceiling" and "sticky floor" phenomena on gender diversity within academic medicine. This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March of 2023. The three major national societies of gastroenterology and hepatology in Pakistan that had been established for more than 10years and the scientific programs of their annual conferences, which were publicly accessible, were included and coded as Society 1, Society 2 and Society 3 to maintain anonymity. The scientific programs for the last fiveyears (2018-2022) were retrieved. The roles of invited faculties were identified as invited speakers, moderators, chairs/panelists, presidents and chairs of organizing or scientific committees and the gender makeup of the faculty was compared. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the trends for female representation over time for each role. Significant gender disparity was evident by an extremely lower cumulative proportion of female invited faculty compared to males (211 [11.9%] vs. 1567 [88.1%], p 0.001). The predominance of invited male faculty was observed across all societies as well as in various roles of invited faculty (p 0.01). A significant disparity has also been observed in leadership positions of all three societies (43 [95.5%] males vs. 2 [4.5%] females, p 0.001), while the trend of women's underrepresentation across all societies remained almost unchanged over time (slope = 0.08, R2 = - 0.078, p-value = 0.875). Our study unveils striking gender disparities in women's representation as invited speakers and other roles at the annual scientific conferences of major gastroenterology and hepatology. Additionally, male dominance remains entrenched, notably in leadership positions, necessitating a proactive, multifaceted approach to rectify gender inequities.

Exploring Serum Vitamin D, Sex Hormones, and Lipid Profile Disparities in Women With and Without Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

Background Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. It is characterized by dyslipidemia, hormonal imbalances, and metabolic dysfunctions.Vitamin D deficiency may be implicated in the pathogenesis of PCOS, potentially exacerbating its metabolic syndrome. However, the exact interplay between these factors remains underexplored. Aim This study aimed to evaluate serum levels of vitamin D and its association with modalities of PCOS among women with PCOS and healthy controls. Methods This was a hospital-based case-control study where 60 women newly diagnosed with PCOS and 56 non-PCOS controls were consecutively recruited within a 10-month period. The women aged 20-40 were recruited at the gynecology clinics of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and Lagos Island Maternity Hospital. PCOS was diagnosed using the Rotterdam's criteria. The biodata, anthropometry, clinical features, serum vitamin D, cortisol, progesterone, testosterone, estradiol, prolactin, anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) levels of PCOS-diagnosed women were assessed and compared with those of women without PCOS. The exclusion criteria comprised known diabetics, women with gynecological pathologies such as fibroids, and womenon medications affecting the study analytes or hormones. Statistical analyses included chi-square or Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables, student t-test for continuous variables, and Pearson's correlation for assessing relationships between continuous variables. The significance level was set at p<0.05 and a confidence interval of 95%. Results Individuals with PCOS exhibited a younger mean age (26.90±3.73 versus 29.95±5.00 years, p=0.001) and a higher prevalence of irregular menstrual patterns (46.7% versus 14.3%, p=0.0001) and acne (58.3% versus 37.5%, p=0.025). Moreover, PCOS was associated with elevated levels of TC (p = 0.03), TG (p = 0.03), LDL-C (p = 0.014), FBG (p = 0.001), LH:FSH ratio (p = 0.002), AMH (p = 0.0001), and testosterone (p = 0.003), but low progesterone (p = 0.001) and vitamin D (p = 0.033), alongside a higher incidence of vitamin D deficiency (33.3% versus 26.1%) and insufficiency (66.7% versus 56.5%). Additionally, significant but weak correlations were observed between serum vitamin D levels and waist-hip ratio (r = 0.4, p = 0.016) and FBG (r = -0.4, p = 0.036) in the PCOS group, suggesting potential metabolic implications. Conclusion The PCOS subjects in this study had decreased vitamin D and progesterone levels, with elevated concentrations of testosterone, AMH, lipid profile (TC, LDL, and TG), FBG, and LH:FSHratio. Studies on the therapeutic effect of vitamin D administration in managing PCOS will need to be further evaluated.

Quantifying disparities in intimate partner violence: a machine learning method to correct for underreporting

The first step towards reducing the pervasive disparities in women’s health is to quantify them. Accurate estimates of the relative prevalence across groups—capturing, for example, that a condition affects Black women more frequently than white women—facilitate effective and equitable health policy that prioritizes groups who are disproportionately affected by a condition. However, it is difficult to estimate relative prevalence when a health condition is underreported, as many women’s health conditions are. In this work, we present PURPLE, a method for accurately estimating the relative prevalence of underreported health conditions which builds upon the literature in positive unlabeled learning. We show that under a commonly made assumption—that the probability of having a health condition given a set of symptoms remains constant across groups—we can recover the relative prevalence, even without restrictive assumptions commonly made in positive unlabeled learning and even if it is impossible to recover the absolute prevalence. We conduct experiments on synthetic and real health data which demonstrate PURPLE’s ability to recover the relative prevalence more accurately than do previous methods. We then use PURPLE to quantify the relative prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in two large emergency department datasets. We find higher prevalences of IPV among patients who are on Medicaid, not legally married, and non-white, and among patients who live in lower-income zip codes or in metropolitan counties. We show that correcting for underreporting is important to accurately quantify these disparities and that failing to do so yields less plausible estimates. Our method is broadly applicable to underreported conditions in women’s health, as well as to gender biases beyond healthcare.

945: Addressing health and racial disparity in women with breast cancer: Black Women Rising Charity.

945: Addressing health and racial disparity in women with breast cancer: Black Women Rising Charity.

Women’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Persistence After University Graduation: Insights From Kazakhstan

Women’s persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been widely researched in educational settings, whereas less is known about their STEM persistence after graduation. Drawing on social cognitive career theory and in-depth semi-structured interviews with twenty women graduates majoring in STEM fields, this article explores women’s persistence in STEM fields in Kazakhstan within four years after university graduation. The findings of the study are mapped around four themes—STEM self-efficacy beliefs, STEM career outcome expectations, organizational factors, and socio-structural factors—that are found important in shaping STEM women’s post-graduation career choices. The study also reveals factors accounting for disparities in women’s STEM persistence across different STEM fields. Implications highlight the need for more work at organizational and socio-structural levels to develop favorable conditions motivating and enabling women to persist in STEM careers within a patriarchal context.

Trends in binge drinking in the United States by LGBTQ+ identity, gender, and age, 2014-2022.

People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) have higher rates of risky drinking than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. It is unknown to what extent recent age and gender trends in binge drinking vary by LGBTQ+ identity. We used nationally representative, serial, cross-sectional surveys from men and women in the 2014-2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (N = 2,099,959) to examine trends in past-month binge drinking by LGBTQ+ identity, gender, and age (18-29, 30-44, 45 and older). We estimated stratum-specific prevalence ratios for an average 1-year increase in prevalence of past-month binge drinking using survey-weighted log-binomial models, controlling for education, race/ethnicity, marriage, and parenthood status. In the beginning of the study period, LGBTQ+ women endorsed binge drinking at higher prevalences than their cisgender, heterosexual peers (i.e., 2014 predicted probability for women ages 30-44: 0.22 for LGBTQ+, 0.15 for cisgender, heterosexual). LGBTQ+ disparities in women's drinking attenuated over the study period among women in midlife (30-44 age group) due to increases in binge drinking among cisgender, heterosexual women (Prevalence Ratio [PR]: 1.025, 95% CI 1.018-1.033). Among men, we saw no evidence of LGBTQ+ disparities in binge drinking probabilities or in binge drinking trends across all age groups. Disparities in mid-life binge drinking between LGBTQ+ and cisgender women have begun to diminish. These disparities are closing not because LGBTQ+ women are binge drinking less, but because cisgender, heterosexual women in midlife are binge drinking more.

Residence-based inequalities in overweight/obesity in sub-Saharan Africa: a multivariate non-linear decomposition analysis

BackgroundOverweight/obesity remains a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases and their associated morbidities and mortalities. Yet, limited studies have comprehensively examined factors contributing to the rural–urban disparities in overweight/obesity among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, our study sought to decompose the rural–urban disparities in overweight/obesity among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using nationally representative datasets.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 23 sub-Saharan African countries conducted from 2015 to 2022. A sample of 177,329 women was included in the analysis. Percentages with confidence intervals (CIs) were used to summarize the prevalence of overweight/obesity per rural–urban strata and pooled level. A multivariate non-linear decomposition analysis was used to identify the factors contributing to the rural–urban disparities in overweight/obesity. The results were presented using coefficients and percentages.ResultsThe pooled prevalence of overweight/obesity among the women was higher in urban areas (38.9%; 95% CI = 38.2–39.6) than rural areas (19.1%; 95% CI = 18.7–19.6). This pattern was observed in all the countries surveyed, except in South Africa, where women in rural areas (53.1%; 95% CI = 50.0–56.4) had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity than those in urban areas (46.0%; 95% CI = 43.2–48.9). Approximately 54% of the rural–urban disparities in overweight/obesity was attributable to the differences in the women’s characteristics or explanatory variables. More than half of the rural–urban disparities in overweight/obesity would be reduced if the disparities in women’s characteristics were levelled. Among the women’s characteristics, frequency of watching television (29.03%), wealth index (26.59%), and level of education (9.40%) explained approximately 65% of the rural–urban differences in overweight/obesity.ConclusionThe prevalence of overweight/obesity among women in SSA remains high and skewed towards women in urban areas. Increased frequency of watching television, high wealth index, and higher educational attainment contributed largely to the rural-urban disparities in overweight/obesity among women in SSA. Thus, interventions aimed at reducing overweight/obesity among women in SSA could be targeted at reducing the frequency of television watching as well as promoting physical activities among wealthy women and those with higher education, particularly in urban areas.

“They Don’t Give a Damn About Us”: A Qualitative Study on Experiences and Perceptions Underlying Racial Disparities in Sex Trafficking Specialty Docket Programs

ABSTRACT Sex trafficking specialty court programs represent a structural approach to disrupt historic patterns of violence and health disparities, as well as counteract carceral recidivism issues. Despite the promise of these programs, inequities have been observed in women’s access, entry, and success within such programs. The purpose of the current study was to understand perceptions and experiences underlying documented racial disparities in women’s access to and retention within sex trafficking specialty court programs. Fifteen black women with histories of arrest for prostitution or solicitation were recruited to participate in interviews querying experiences with referral processes, factors associated with their admittance and retention, and factors influencing whether they ultimately participated in such a program. An inductive content analysis was used to analyze interview transcript data. Four groups of themes emerged after analyses: (a) perceptions and experiences with police and the criminal legal system; (b) perceptions of sex trafficking specialty court programs; (c) perceived barriers to participation; and (d) perceived facilitators of participation. This research provides meaningful context toward perceptions and experiences underlying previously observed disparities in women’s referral to and success within sex trafficking specialty court programs. Findings provide insights toward practices that could bolster equity within these programs.

Ethnoracial differences in income and safety net patterns among low‐income postpartum families before and during the Great Recession

AbstractIn the absence of paid family leave, postpartum low‐income unmarried women often rely on a patchwork of resources from wage earnings, public safety‐net programs, and informal familial support. The Great Recession (2007–2009) caused massive unemployment, with Black and Latine families disproportionately impacted by the economic fallout. Public safety‐net provisions attenuated economic hardship, yet it's unclear if postpartum low‐income women patched together comparable resources during the recession and if there were racially disparities in women's access to resources. Using a sample of low‐income unmarried women who gave birth between 2004 and 2011 from the Survey of Income and Public Program, we examine whether safety‐net provisions and familial support attenuated the fallout of the Great Recession by examining income patterns and safety‐net use (SNAP, WIC, and TANF) among postpartum low‐income unmarried women by ethnoracial group before and during the recession. Our findings suggest the Great Recession had a disparate negative impact on the economic well‐being of postpartum Black women, particularly through lower wage earnings. Increased SNAP income may have attenuated some, but not all, of the deleterious impact of the recession on Black women, and increased WIC participation may also have provided crucial support for addressing food insecurity among Black women. Implications for maternal and infant health and policy are discussed.

Association between digital engagement and urban-rural disparities in Chinese women's depressive symptoms: A national-level cross-sectional study.

This study aims to investigate the impact of digital engagement on urban-rural disparities in depressive symptoms among Chinese women. Using a dataset from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) wave 2020, this study analyzes the impact of digital engagement on the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms using multiple linear regression and recentered influence function (RIF) models. Furthermore, the extent to which digital engagement affects the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms was calculated using the RIF decomposition method. Analysis showed that rural women had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to urban women; digital engagement significantly reduced women's depressive symptoms levels and mitigated the urban-rural disparity for women with moderate to high levels of depressive symptoms, and the mitigating effect was stronger for the highly depressed sample, but still widened the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms overall. In addition, the results of the RIF decomposition showed that digital engagement explained 28.28% of the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms. There is a significant disparity in depressive symptoms levels between urban and rural women in China. Digital engagement reduces women's depressive symptoms, but it also widens the depressive symptoms disparity between urban and rural women overall. Digital engagement is potentially positive for reducing women's depressive symptoms.

Gender gaps in scientific research: a systematic review

Background: The gender gaps present in the field of scientific and academic research generate discrimination and lack of equal opportunities for women, resulting in several barriers that significantly limit women's scientific productivity. The objective was to identify the main gender gaps in productivity and scientific research. Method: The researchers conducted a systematic search for articles on gender disparities in women's scientific production in the SCOPUS and REDALYC repositories, taking into account manuscripts in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Articles on gender gaps in scientific production were included, while empirical studies with other approaches to gender discrimination were excluded. Studies that did not address gender differences in scientific research, those that focused only on specific scientific disciplines without taking gender into account, and those that were not available in their entirety were excluded. The search and selection were conducted from May and June 2023. To avoid stumbling blocks, other methods were used, such as initially filtering titles based on a search equation and then excluding those that did not address gender differences in scientific research. Next, manuscripts were reviewed and those that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. Finally, the remaining research was thoroughly reviewed to obtain the information needed for the study. Results: A total of 23 articles were analyzed, addressing various issues such as discrimination, lack of policies to support women, academic inequalities and other factors that make female participation more difficult. Conclusion: The main findings revealed gender gaps that have an impact on worldwide female scientific production. The literature frequently focuses on low output without investigating the causes. When they approach, they just treat the surface. Future research should focus on gender disparities in production, as well as the daily challenges women face in research and scientific production.