Advancing from gender equity to women in leadership in pediatric radiology

Abstract

The promotion of gender equity has emerged as a muchdiscussed topic in radiology. Women now represent the majority of medical school matriculants in the United States [1], but the proportion of women practicing radiology has remained relatively stable at approximately 25% since 2012 [2]. Among radiologists, 30% of women and 10% of men work part-time [3], with women increasing in part-time preference at a slightly greater rate than men. Pediatric radiology, however, is the rare subset of diagnostic radiology in which there is a similar distribution of men and women, based on survey data [4] and a count of members with a public directory entry in the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) online database [5]. In this paper we identify gender-related leadership trends in pediatric radiology while indicating areas of potential improvement. We also discuss strategies to meet the goal of increasing female presence in radiology and radiology leadership.

Revisiting gender workspace blind spots

“…We applaud the articles from Pfeifer et al [1] and Joshi [2] with regard to gender balance in pediatric radiology. These data are important for the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) as it demonstrates that change definitely needs to occur to support leadership by women in our field.…”

“…The statistics provided by Pfeifer et al [1] open the door to understanding the disparity, yet they do not quite describe the problem at hand. Why do women find themselves primarily in the middle of the pyramid rather than at the top [4]?…”

Gender balance in pediatric radiology: it benefits everyone

“…There will just be leaders." -Sheryl Sandberg [1] This month's commentary by Dr. Pfeifer and colleagues [2] addresses the issue of gender representation in pediatric radiology, specifically examining genderrelated trends in pediatric radiology leadership and in Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) annual meeting participation. The authors point out that pediatric radiology is poised to achieve the gender balance that eludes most other radiology subspecialties, and they define strategies to develop female leaders in pediatric radiology.…”

“…Pfeifer et al [2] make the important observation that although there has been recent progress toward gender equity in pediatric radiology leadership, there is room for improvement. The challenge of balancing career and home responsibilities has been invoked as a major obstacle in the development of female leaders [10].…”

“…Pfeifer et al [2] note that coaches, mentors, sponsors and role models are imperative in nurturing future leaders. Increasing the number of visible female mentors and role models, such as full professors, division chiefs, department chairs, professional society leaders, and journal editors, is likely to encourage women to choose careers in pediatric radiology, which will, in turn, keep an open pipeline from which to cultivate future female leaders.…”