Examining Gender Representation in US News and World Report Top 25 Urology Departments: Female Faculty Hold Lower Professorial Levels and Publication Rates Than Male Counterparts.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine female representation in US News and World Report (USNWR) top 25 US Urology departments and identify trends of female representation in institutional roles.

Methods: Using the 2022 USNWR, we collected data from each institution's websites along with a compared geographically local cohort to evaluate the presence of female residents, female attendings, and professorial levels. First or last author faculty publications numbers were found using PubMed and Scopus in fiscal year 2022.

Results: The top 25 institutions averaged ~32.3% female residents and 18.7% female attendings, which was not significantly different from the comparison cohort. Of the total publications of fiscal year 2022, female attendings contributed ~14% (p < 0.001), also not significantly different from the comparison cohort. Only 20.4% of listed female attendings in top 25 programs are full Professors, compared to 41.1% of the listed men (p < 0.05). The most common level of female professorship is Assistant Professor (53.4%). Level of female professorship between cohort was significantly different, with female urologists more likely to hold a title of full Professor in the top 25 cohort compared to the nontop 25 cohort regardless of similar publication output (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Female faculty in Urology continue to be underrepresented in the top Urology departments, with significant difference in equitable female professorship appointments between top 25 and nontop 25 departments. Future directions include examining the impact of early mentorship and sponsorship on representation over time.