How parenthood contributes to gender gaps in academia.

Being a parent has long been associated with gender disparities in academia. However, details of the mechanisms by which parenthood and gender influence academic career achievement and progression are not fully understood. Here, using data from a survey of 7,764 academics in North America and publication data from the Web of Science, we analyze gender differences in parenthood and academic achievements and explore the influence of work-family conflict and partner support on these gender gaps. Our results suggest that gender gaps in academic achievement are, in fact, "parenthood gender gaps." Specifically, we found significant gender gaps in most of the measures of academic achievement (both objective and subjective) in the parent group but not in the non-parent group. Mothers are more likely than fathers to experience higher levels of work-family conflict and to receive lower levels of partner support, contributing significantly to the gender gaps in academic achievement for the parent group. We also discuss possible interventions and actions for reducing gender gaps in academia.

The gendered nature of authorship.

Authorship is the primary form of symbolic capital in science. Despite this, authorship is rife with injustice and malpractice, with women expressing concerns regarding the fair attribution of credit. Based on an international survey, we examine gendered practices in authorship communication, disagreement, and fairness. Our results demonstrate that women were more likely to experience authorship disagreements and experience them more often. Their contributions to research papers were more often devalued by both men and women. Women were more likely to discuss authorship with coauthors at the beginning of the project, whereas men were more likely to determine authorship unilaterally at the end. Women perceived that they received less credit than deserved, while men reported the opposite. This devaluation of women's work in science creates cumulative disadvantages in scientific careers. Open discussion regarding power dynamics related to gender is necessary to develop more equitable distribution of credit for scientific labor.

Rate of BRCA mutation in patients tested under NCCN genetic testing criteria.

BACKGROUND: BRCA genetic testing is recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) in breast cancer patients who meet specific criteria. Limited data are available on the likelihood of detecting a mutation when these guidelines are followed. METHODS: A retrospective chart review examined patients with breast cancer who underwent BRCA testing based on NCCN guidelines. RESULTS: Twelve (6.0%) of the 199 patients had a deleterious BRCA mutation. Family history of BRCA mutations (50%, p = 0.019), age ≤45 at diagnosis (9.7%, p = 0.034) and meeting ≥3 NCCN criteria (13.3%, p = 0.03) yielded the highest rates of BRCA mutation. Having a family history of BRCA mutation and age ≤45 were associated with increased rate of BRCA mutation on multivariate analysis (OR 14.3, CI 1.2-166.3; OR 11.6, CI 1.2-108.6). CONCLUSION: Select NCCN criteria are associated with higher rates of BRCA mutations. Waiting for genetic testing results to guide surgical management may be warranted in this subset of patients.