GENDER BIAS IN MEDICINE

By: Hannah Ray

 WOMEN IN
MEDICINE

• 50.5% of medical students

were women in 2019
(Boyle, 2021)
• 36.3% of physician
workforce were women in
2019 (Boyle, 2021)
• 40% of female physicians
leave medicine or go part-
time within six years of
completing residency
(Paturel, 2019)
 GLASS ESCALATOR VS GLASS CEILING

• Journal “The Glass Escalator: Hidden Advantages for Men in the ‘Female’
Professions” evaluates the differences of men entering a female-dominated
field vs women entering a male-dominated field (Williams, 1992)
• “Researchers examining the integration of women into "male fields" have
identified discrimination as a major barrier to women… women encounter
sexual harassment, sabotage, or other forms of hostility from their male co-
workers resulting in a poisoned work environment… In particular, women in
engineering and blue-collar occupations encounter gender-based stereotypes
about their competence which undermine their work performance.” (Williams,
1992)
 GLASS ESCALATOR VS GLASS CEILING

• “the few studies that have considered men's experience in gender atypical occupations suggest that
men may not face discrimination or prejudice when they integrate predominantly female occupations”
• Men in female-dominated fields are seen to be at an advantage and are often moved into higher
paying and more prestigious positions within the field
• Women tend to experience a glass ceiling in which “they are constrained by invisible barriers to
promotion in their careers, caused mainly by the sexist attitudes of men in the highest positions”
• Men experience a glass escalator meaning “despite their intentions, they face invisible pressures to
move up in their professions”
(Williams, 1992)
 CHALLENGES FOR FEMALE
PHYSICIANS

• The concept of the glass ceiling is present in medicine, especially for female
physicians
• Female physicians report harassment based on gender, pay inequity and
discrimination in the workplace (Newman, et al., 2020)
• Study reports that 75% of female physicians have experienced
“inappropriate words or actions” from fellow colleagues (Hughes, 2019)
• Female physicians also have limited leadership opportunities or career
advancements compared to their male counterparts (Newman, et al., 2020)
 • Along with gender discrimination, female physicians
encounter maternal discrimination in the workplace
• “Nearly one in three physician moms have
experienced discrimination because of
pregnancy or breastfeeding”
• Female physicians “take on an average of 8.5 hours
GENDER more work at home each week than men”
EXPECTATIONS • Women often don’t get to choose between their career
and family. In order to balance both women are more
like to cut their hours compared to men to “reduce
work-family conflict”
• Most “child rearing and household responsibilities
still fall on women, even if they are physicians”
(Paturel, 2019)
• Study shows that “female primary care physicians
spent about 15% more time with patients” compared
to males (Gordon, 2020)
• This results in female physicians seeing less patients
and generating “11% less annual revenue” than males
(Gordon, 2020) PATIENT
• Patients of female physicians report greater
satisfaction with care (Gordon, 2020)
IMPACT
• Study estimates “that approximately 32,000 fewer
patients would die if male physicians could achieve
the same outcomes as female physicians every year”
(Schumann, 2016)
 COMBATTING BIASES

• Increased education on biases

• Accountability
• Equal pay and compensation regardless of individual qualities
• Increased leadership opportunities
(Newman, et al., 2020)
• Maternal Discrimination Solutions
• Increased maternity leave, child-care options, schedule flexibility (Sowa, 2017)
 • Increase in women attending medical school
• Increase in women in certain specialties
• More programs in place to encourage
FUTURE OF leadership and well-being
MEDICINE • Plans to close the wage gap
 SOURCES

• (Boyle, 2021)
• (Gordon, 2020)
• (Hughes, 2019)
• (Newman, et al., 2020)
• (Paturel, 2019)
• (Schumann, 2016)
• (Sowa, 2017)
• (Williams, 1992)