Women of medical and health sciences and Brazilian publications on Covid-19

Abstract

Despite the increasing historical participation of women in Brazilian scientific production, domestic and labor reconfiguration for the control of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to be reducing the productivity of women scientists. The GenCovid-Br Research aimed to outline a panorama of female production in articles regarding COVID-19 in the area of Medical and Health Sciences, available in PubMed, with at least one author with Brazilian affiliation. From 1013 publications by 08/14/2020, 6.1% were written exclusively by women, 17.2% exclusively by men, 31.1% were mixed with female leadership, and 45.6% were mixed with male leadership. Women participated in more articles led by women (50.1% vs. 35.6% in those led by men). In articles in areas of Clinical Medicine, where women are the majority of researchers, there are fewer women authors, which also occurs in publications resulting from international collaborations. The present results indicate the possibility of widening previous gender inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic. New studies should deepen the investigation on the magnitude and determinants of this phenomenon, including temporal analyzes. Institutional policies must take gender inequities into account in academic assessments, preventing future impacts on the careers of women, particularly young researchers involved in social reproduction.