# Gender reporting across regions and time in psychological studies: a scoping review of studies in Psychological Science between 2019 and 2024

## TL;DR

This study reviews how gender is reported in psychology research from 2019 to 2024, finding inconsistent adherence to gender reporting guidelines.

## Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive assessment of gender reporting practices in Psychological Science following SAGER guidelines.

## Key findings

- Most studies reported participants' gender, but few presented gender-stratified results or conducted gender-based analysis.
- Global North studies reported non-binary identities more often but were less likely to present gender-stratified results.
- U.S. studies showed a decline in gender-stratified reporting from 2022 to 2024.

## Abstract

Despite growing calls for gender-responsive psychological research, implementation of gender-related guidelines is underresearched. The Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines recommend reporting participants’ gender, presenting gender-stratified results, analyzing gender-related data, acknowledging non-binary identities, and distinguishing between biological sex and social gender. This scoping review assessed the extent to which these guidelines are followed.

We included all primary data studies on human participants published in Psychological Science from 2019 to 2024 (n = 699) and assessed their gender reporting practices according to the SAGER guidelines.

While 87.8% (n = 614) of studies reported participants’ gender, only 35.3% (n = 247) presented gender-stratified results, and 24.2% (n = 169) conducted gender-based analysis. Only 17.2% (n = 120) of studies reported participants’ non-binary identities. Regional patterns emerged: Global North studies more frequently reported non-binary identities but less often presented gender-stratified results and conducted gender-based analysis than Global South studies. The U.S.-based studies saw a notable decline in reporting gender-stratified results, from 43.2% (n = 32) in 2022 to 28.1% (n = 16) in 2024.

This review reveals persistent inconsistencies in how gender is conceptualized and reported. It provides recommendations to improve gender reporting in order to facilitate the production of more accurate and socially relevant knowledge in psychological research.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41073-025-00186-8.