A scoping review of 20 years (2003–2024) of published research on gender experience and disparities among emergency medicine physicians in North America, synthesizing 191 studies across 15 themes and 5 domains.
Improvements were seen over time in women's representation as academic faculty, authors, national speakers, and educational award recipients. However, persistent disparities disadvantaging women were found in financial compensation, editorial board membership, executive leadership, academic rank, and experiences of gender bias — with little change over time.
Nearly all included studies (99%) were observational, limiting causal inference. Evidence quality was variable across themes. Some areas remain understudied, and the review was limited to North America.
Gender-based disparities in pay, leadership, and academic advancement remain entrenched in emergency medicine despite two decades of awareness. Institutional efforts should shift from documenting these gaps to designing and rigorously evaluating interventions that address them.
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