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. 2023 Dec;40(6):560-567.
doi: 10.1177/14550725231181440. Epub 2023 Jul 10.

Ways to get a more balanced gender representation in addiction journals' management and workforce

Thomas Babor  1 , Anna Tsiboukli  2 , Matilda Hellman  3   4 , Anees Bahji  5
Affiliations

Ways to get a more balanced gender representation in addiction journals' management and workforce

Thomas Babor et al. Nordisk Alkohol Nark. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Although the scientific community, particularly academic publishing, claims to be gender-neutral and based on meritocracy, it mirrors other parts of modern society, wherein residual gender imbalances and implicit and explicit gender biases are reproduced. In this report, we address gender imbalances (in particular, the overrepresentation of men) in the editorial workforce of academic journals as barriers to women's promotion and career progression in addiction science. We also consider potential gender-related elements and biases in the peer-review and editorial decision-making processes, which may result in women's lower publication rates, thereby creating another gender-related barrier to women's promotion, career progression and academic recognition. Establishing a more balanced gender representation in addiction publishing will require the adoption of the SAGER guidelines and the development of Gender Equality Plans for addiction specialty journals. Finally, although our focus concerns gender, the organisational mechanisms identified here also affect other types of heterogeneity and intersectional thinking.

Keywords: academia; addiction; disparities; diversity; gender.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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