AB170. SOH26AB_0153. Trends in female participation in otolaryngology: Residency demographics and authorship trajectories

Background: Female authorship in otolaryngology head and neck surgery (OHNS) has risen steadily in recent years, and trends from national meetings provide a contemporary comparison point for residency demographics. The aim of this study was to review the literature for swings in female authorship and compare them to changes in female representation on OHNS residency programmes.

Methods: An online review of presentations of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) annual meetings with an assessment of national residency figures for female participants and residents was performed.

Results: At the AAO-HNS annual meetings, female authorship increased from 21.2% in 2007 to 37.9% in 2022, reflecting consistent growth in scholarly participation across a timeline that overlaps with current residency data. During this period, national residency figures show a 32% increase in the number of female otolaryngology residents from 2018 to 2024. Although the datasets are not perfectly matched year-for-year, the magnitude and direction of these trends indicate that growth in female authorship is occurring alongside, and likely outpacing, the expansion of women in otolaryngology residency programs.

Conclusions: These findings highlight steady and meaningful gains in female contribution to OHNS research that reflect the anticipated productive interval time lag and support the suggestion that females appear to be more productive authors than their male counterparts.

Keywords: Authorship; female; presentation; medical; residents