The current status of gender equity in medicine in Korea: An online survey about perceived gender discrimination.

Abstract

Background: Although the number of women doctors has increased in South Korea, and efforts to improve gender awareness have gained importance in recent years, the issue of gender equity in the medical field has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the current status of gender equity in the medical profession in Korea. Methods: An online survey on perceived gender discrimination was conducted for two months, with both men and women doctors participating. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 1,170 doctors responded to the survey (9.2% response rate). The survey found that 47.3% of the women respondents and 18.2% of the men had experienced gender discrimination in the resident selection process (p <0.05); 17.2% of the women and 8.7% of the men had experienced discrimination during the fellowship application process (p <0.05); and 36.2% of the women and 8.0% of the men had experienced discrimination during the professorship application process (p <0.05). Both men and women cited the issue of childbirth and parenting as the number one cause of gender discrimination against women doctors.Conclusions: This study revealed the presence of perceived gender discrimination in the Korean medical society. To address discrimination, a basic approach is necessary to change the working environment so that it is flexible for women doctors, and to change the current culture where the burden of family care, including pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, is the primary responsibility of women.

A survey of specialty choice among obstetrics and gynecology residents in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan

“…In 2014, Hsiung C. designed a questionnaire for surveying the factors that influence the choice of major medical specialty among postgraduate year (PGY) students. 18 The questionnaire had 17 items that inquired into whether the following were relevant to the respondent's choice (or not) of OB/GYN 1 : interest in OB/GYN clinical expertise, 2 medical litigation reduction because of ADR, 3 sense of accomplishment from saving lives, 4 quality of life, 5 lower workload than other specialists, 6 better salary than other specialists, 7 more opportunities to obtain new techniques and equipment, 8 ease in becoming a medical practitioner, 9 higher demand for OB/GYN, 10 more opportunities for academic research, 11 ease of obtaining specialist certification, 12 shorter residency training course, 13 more opportunities for promotion, 14 higher reputation as an OB/GYN practitioner, 15 support from parents and family members, 16 safe working environment, and 17 other factors. The first 16 statements were rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.…”

“…15 Taiwan, Japan, and Korea share similarities in their geographical locations, residency training programs, and medical treatment styles. All three have had similar recruiting difficulties and sex imbalances with respect to OB/GYN residents in the past, 16,17 but recruitment has improved recently. To determine the factors that affect the pursuit of an OB/GYN residency in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology (TAOG) worked together with the Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) and the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (KSOG) to undertake this study.…”

Gender Aspects of Reproduction of Professional Dynasties in Medicine

“…В свою очередь, все разнообразие публикаций по теме гендерного анализа медицинской профессии можно разделить на несколько тематических групп. Во-первых, это работы, посвящённые анализу гендерной сегрегации во врачебной деятельности (The Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Healthcare, 2010; Crompton, Le Feuvre, 2003: 36-58;Shin, Lee, 2020), аргументации того, что преимущественно не профессиональные качества, а гендер определяет асимметрию представленности женщин на руководящих постах в медицине (Pololi et al, 2013: 201-207). Во-вторых, в фокус внимания ученых попадают проблемы дискриминации по признаку пола и сексуальные домогательства врачей, показано, что сексуальные домогательства непропорционально влияют на женщин-медиков (McKinley et al, 2019(McKinley et al, : 1691(McKinley et al, -1698.…”