An Exploration of Gender Bias Affecting Women in Medicine

Hefner, Jennifer L; Nembhard, Ingrid M.; Stephenson, Amber L.; Diehl, Amy B.; Dzubinski, Leanne M.; McErlean, Mara; Huppertz, John W.; Sidhu, Mandeep S.

doi:10.1108/s1474-823120210000020004

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Although the reasons underlying this perceived discrimination were not interrogated in this study, relevant research suggests it is likely to be due to a combination of male culture, unequal standards, insufficient support and devaluation of the contribution of women as well as various degrees of hostility, often in association with gender stereotyping. 14 The observation that gender has the strongest correlation with the perception of workplace discrimination for female anaesthetists confirms the findings from previous Australian and New Zealand data. 1,2 It also confirms that our local setting reflects international observations with respect to the significant gender bias in anaesthesiology and many other medical specialities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Gender research suggests this is due to both explicit and implicit barriers that continue to hinder women’s progress to high-level leadership. 14 All directors and senior managers have responsibility to ensure that women are represented meaningfully at all levels of the hierarchy. It also highlights the importance of ensuring concerted efforts to prevent women from being appointed to tokenistic roles in which influence is qualified and limited, and male leaders remain the gatekeepers of participation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The observation that the female respondents were more likely to be enrolled in or hold a higher qualification than their male counterparts support findings from previous research that women are arguably held to a higher standard before they are considered of equal eligibility for sought-after roles. 14,17 Combining a need to seek higher levels of education than male colleagues with more time in unpaid caregiving roles, women have less time available for seeking paid working opportunities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does gender still matter in the pursuit of a career in anaesthesia?

Stewart,

Carter,

Purcell

et al. 2023

Anaesth Intensive Care

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A survey sent to fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) aimed to document issues affecting gender equity in the anaesthesia workplace. A response rate of 38% was achieved, with women representing a greater proportion of respondents (64.2%). On average women worked fewer hours than men and spent a larger percentage of time in public practice; however, satisfaction rates were similar between genders. There was a gender pay gap which could not be explained by the number of hours worked or years since achieving fellowship. The rates of bullying and harassment were high among all genders and have not changed in 20 years since the first gender equity survey by Strange Khursandi in 1998. Women perceived that they were more likely to be discriminated against particularly in the presence of other sources of discrimination, and highlighted the importance of the need for diversity and inclusion in anaesthetic workplaces. Furthermore, women reported higher rates of caregiving and unpaid domestic responsibilities, confirming that anaesthetists are not immune to the factors affecting broader society despite our professional status. The overall effect was summarised by half of female respondents reporting that they felt their gender was a barrier to a career in anaesthesia. While unable to be included in statistics due to low numbers, non-binary gendered anaesthetists responded and must be included in all future work. The inequities documented here are evidence that ANZCA’s gender equity subcommittee must continue promoting and implementing policies in workplaces across Australia and New Zealand.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does gender still matter in the pursuit of a career in anaesthesia?

Stewart,

Carter,

Purcell

et al. 2023

Anaesth Intensive Care

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This observation contrasts with the prevailing notion in many other studies, which commonly assert that females are more susceptible to gender inequity, particularly within the medical field. 28 – 30 This divergence in perception may partly arise from the vulnerability of students as easy targets for inequity and the heightened prevalence of gender inequity at the undergraduate-clerkship level compared to the postgraduate and pre-clerkship stages. Importantly, our findings suggest a shift in recent years, where gender inequity and discrimination have moved from being female-centric to affecting both genders equally.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Inequity in Clinical Clerkships and its Influence on Career Selection: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Dawood,

Roshan,

Daniyal

et al. 2024

Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development

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Objective The aim of this study was to identify the frequency, form, and underlying factors contributing to gender inequity experienced by medical undergraduates and assess its influence on their career choices. Method This was a cross-sectional, retrospective survey with a 100% response rate. This survey was distributed among medical students of clinical years in Karachi's private and government medical colleges from September 10th, 2021-March 30th, 2022. 430 participants were enrolled using a simple-random-sampling-technique. Chi-square/Fisher's Exact tests are employed to assess the relationships between gender and gender-based inequity in various specialties, including their characteristics, influence on career choices, adverse psychological effects, and potential mitigation strategies. Results Among 430 respondents, 28.6% were male, and 71.4% were female. 89.1% reported gender inequity, evenly distributed in government (80.4%) and private institutions (88.1%). The general surgery and gynecology disciplines stood out, each with a 56% prevalence. In gynecology and surgery clinical-clerkships, both genders experienced similar rates, with females at 54.5% and 42.3%, and males at 56.7% and 61.6%, respectively (P-value = .000*). Disrespect from staff/professors/patients (48.8%) was the most common manifestation, driven by factors like preferences (73.7%), gender superiority (62.6%), societal attitudes (54%), and cultural norms (50.9%). Furthermore, 82.6% of students reported that gender inequity had a negative impact on their career decision (Male = 82.9%;Female = 82.4%, P-value = .899). Additionally, gender inequity also caused demotivation (78.1%), poor self-esteem (67.2%), helplessness/hopelessness (48.6%), and frustration (45.8%). Conclusions Gender inequity is widely prevalent in the clinical-clerkships, affecting medical students’ career decisions and mental health, stressing the need to prioritize and implement solutions at the undergraduate clinical-clerkship level.

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“…(Buddeberg-Fischer et al, 2010). In addition, male culture, lack of sponsorship, and lack of mentoring are other key obstacles that women face in hospitals, which highlight the detrimental nature of gender bias in medicine (Hefner et al, 2021).…”

Section: Gender Equity In Hospitals: Still a Long Way To Gomentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Equity in Hospitals: An Italian case Study

Gravili¹,

Loia²

2023

icgr

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The topic of gender equity is increasingly cited as a goal of health policy despite the rise in the number of female doctors around the world, and attempts to enhance gender awareness have gained prominence. Recently, initiatives to increase gender awareness have been numerous nevertheless, the topic of gender equity in the medical profession has not been adequately assessed. In order to fill this gap, this paper examines the current state of gender equity literature in hospitals, with a systematic literature review on Scopus, and, then, it focuses on an Italian case study to identify the characteristics that obstacle or support gender equity in terms of salary, career, and professionalism. The finding highlighted some reflections regarding the roles in the Italian hospitals and obstacles to gender equity, such as the stereotyped judgments, as well as shed light on new considerations regarding the actions aimed at managing gender disparity in such working environments. This has important implications for practice in health care organizations and human resource management, which are highlighted in conclusion, together with the limitations and future research avenues.

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An Exploration of Gender Bias Affecting Women in Medicine

Cited by 11 publications

References 38 publications

Does gender still matter in the pursuit of a career in anaesthesia?

Does gender still matter in the pursuit of a career in anaesthesia?

Gender Inequity in Clinical Clerkships and its Influence on Career Selection: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Gender Equity in Hospitals: An Italian case Study

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