We are extremely proud that we were able to contribute to this editorial. Women are under-represented in sports and exercise medicine (SEM), which leads to negative biases and consequences. According to research, female athletes are under-represented in sports and exercise studies, and women hold fewer leadership positions in SEM. Due to a lack of female representation in SEM, knowledge gaps in sports performance, cardiovascular health, and postpartum physiology have arisen. Women face additional workplace challenges, such as harassment, impacting their mental health and job satisfaction. In addition, there is concern about female adolescent sports participation.
Various strategies can be implemented to address under-representation and its consequences. Building a culture of awareness and inclusivity, promoting female inclusion in SEM, increasing female representation in research and conferences, recognizing the benefits of diversity, utilizing enabling technology, distributing workload equally, implementing anonymous reporting platforms, and addressing bias through expert commentary are some of these initiatives. By implementing these strategies, the field of SEM can become more diverse and inclusive, which will benefit everyone involved.
Portugal is an example of a country that has attained gender parity in research, with women accounting for 50% of published researchers. It is critical to provide female role models in SEM and ensure gender equity becomes the norm to break the cycle of gender bias.
To summarize, recognizing and addressing the under-representation of women in SEM is critical to advancing the field and society. SEM can harness the contributions of diverse minds and foster scientific progress by promoting gender equity.
The full text can be found here (Open Access)
Anderson N, Robinson DG, Verhagen E, et al. Under-representation of women is alive and well in sport and exercise medicine: what it looks like and what we can do about it. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2023;9:e001606. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001606