A research team from the University of British Columbia has identified persistent and significant inequities in how sex and gender are represented in exercise physiology research both in the populations studied and in the researchers leading the work.

Their analysis shows that exercise physiology continues to prioritize male bodies and perspectives, despite repeated calls for greater inclusivity. Compared with most other health science disciplines, these disparities are even more pronounced within exercise physiology.

Led by Dr. Meaghan MacNutt, assistant professor of teaching in UBC Okanagan’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences, the review was recently published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. The team analyzed more than 600 recent articles from six leading exercise physiology journals.

The findings revealed that nearly half of the studies examined included only male participants, while fewer than 10 percent focused exclusively on females. Women were also underrepresented among researchers, accounting for just 27 percent of all authors and only 16 percent of senior authorship positions.

Dr. MacNutt notes that the proportion of women in exercise physiology is lower than in many other biomedical and health sciences, closely resembling fields known for large gender gaps, such as physics and computer science.

The researchers emphasize that these inequities extend beyond issues of fairness, directly weakening scientific quality. When research based largely on male participants is generalized to females, critical sex-based differences in physiology, diagnosis, and treatment may be overlooked. In exercise science, this results in an incomplete understanding of how women respond to physical activity, affecting areas such as disease prevention, injury rehabilitation, and athletic performance.

The study also evaluated adherence to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines. Most articles met fewer than one-third of these standards, and over half used inaccurate or unclear terminology when referring to sex and gender.

According to Dr. MacNutt, many publications reflected systemic issues, including biased language, unchecked assumptions, and weak justifications for excluding female participants reinforcing the idea that male physiology is treated as the default. Notably, these patterns appeared equally among male and female authors.

While acknowledging that women researchers are not exempt from these biases, Dr. MacNutt highlights evidence suggesting they are contributing positively by including more female participants, collaborating more frequently with other women, and using clearer sex- and gender-related language.

Despite this progress, the study found no indication that the representation of women in exercise physiology research is likely to improve in the near future.

The authors hope their findings will raise awareness and prompt action across the field. While some researchers including those at UBC are actively working to address these gaps, meaningful change will require coordinated efforts from individuals, academic institutions, funding bodies, and scientific journals alike.

Source: https://news.ok.ubc.ca/2026/01/27/ubc-study-finds-research-in-exercise-physiology-still-fails-women/