The Male Default
New investigations into exercise physiology reveal a persistent issue: the scientific community largely operates under the assumption that male bodies
represent the 'normal' human response to physical activity, training, and recovery. Researchers from the University of British Columbia meticulously reviewed over 600 recent articles from six leading journals in exercise physiology. Their findings underscore a significant imbalance, with nearly half of the studies exclusively involving male participants, while a mere fraction, less than 10 percent, focused solely on females. This pervasive bias in study design and interpretation means that our understanding of exercise's impact on human physiology is inherently incomplete. The problem extends beyond participant demographics, as evidenced by the disproportionately low number of women in authorship positions, with women comprising only 27 percent of all authors and a mere 16 percent of senior authors, further entrenching the male-centric perspective within the field.
Wider Gender Disparities
The gender gap in exercise physiology is notably wider than in many other biomedical and health sciences, with representation levels mirroring fields like physics and computer science, which are known for their significant gender imbalances. This underrepresentation of women among researchers, not just participants, has profound consequences that extend far beyond mere statistics. When research is predominantly conducted on male subjects, the field tends to establish male physiology as the baseline, framing female biology as an exception that requires specific explanation. Consequently, vital sex-based differences in how women experience physiological responses, are diagnosed with conditions, and receive treatments can be overlooked. This incomplete picture in exercise science directly impacts our understanding of how women benefit from physical activity, affecting crucial areas such as disease prevention strategies, effective injury rehabilitation protocols, and the optimization of athletic performance for female athletes.
Flawed Research Practices
Compounding the issue of participant bias, the reviewed exercise physiology studies often fell short of adhering to established Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines, an international framework designed to enhance both fairness and scientific rigor. A striking majority of the papers met fewer than one-third of these critical guidelines. Furthermore, over half of the studies employed terminology related to sex and gender in ways that were either imprecise or outright inaccurate, according to the research team's analysis. Such ambiguity in language not only hampers the interpretation of research findings but also makes it significantly more challenging to compare results across different studies or to reliably apply them to diverse populations. This lack of clarity, coupled with the inherent biases, creates a less robust and less inclusive body of scientific knowledge, hindering progress in understanding human physiology comprehensively.
Structural and Researcher Roles
Analysis of research articles revealed recurring patterns that perpetuate these gender inequities. These include the use of biased language, the unquestioning acceptance of unexamined assumptions, and insufficient or absent justifications for excluding female participants from studies. These consistent trends strongly suggest that many exercise researchers continue to view male physiology as the standard for human biology. Interestingly, this bias was found to be present regardless of the author's gender; women researchers were not exempt from these ingrained assumptions. While women researchers are making valuable contributions by increasing the inclusion of female participants, fostering collaborations among women, and improving communication about sex and gender, the study found no clear indication that the number of women entering exercise physiology is set to rise. This suggests that systemic issues, rather than individual efforts alone, are the primary drivers of the ongoing disparities.
A Call for Change
Dr. Meaghan MacNutt and her colleagues emphasized that the primary objective of their research was to heighten awareness and prompt a collective reflection on how to ameliorate these persistent sex and gender gaps within exercise science. While acknowledging that some exercise physiologists, including those at UBC, are actively engaged in addressing these issues, she stressed that substantial progress is still needed. The researchers hope their findings will serve as a wake-up call not only for individual exercise physiologists but also for influential stakeholders in academic institutions, funding bodies, and scientific journals. They contend that while changes in individual researcher behavior are crucial, these shifts will likely not materialize without broader support and proactive measures implemented at every level of the scientific ecosystem. Fostering a truly equitable and comprehensive understanding of human physiology requires a concerted, multi-faceted approach.
