How Gender Disparity in Medicine Can be Countered
Counter Gender Disparity [1]
The reason why this is an important issue that needs to be discussed is that the healthcare system has a big impact on society and the community. Furthermore, it has an even bigger impact when taking gender into account because gender equality in the workplace has improved productivity, innovation, decision making, and employee retention and satisfaction [2]. According to an article published in The Lancet about gender equality in medicine, this is especially relevant to medicine because a diverse team might develop a more specific and relevant question that is beneficial to a broader population such as other women. Furthermore, social collectives and networks play an important role in encouraging women to enter the field and stay in the field [3].
There have been a number of studies that are solutions to gender disparity in leadership positions in medicine. Creating an organization or workplace that is family-friendly has a lot of impact on the rise of women in leadership such as implanting strong family leave policies that ensure that women are not faced with the choice between family and career [4]. Furthermore, the underlining issue of implicit bias against women needs to be addressed especially with research members and hiring committees. There also needs to be a system-wide review of salaries to assess implicit bias. However, these all address problems within the workplace after finishing medical school or Ph.D. programs, there needs to be an assessment of mentorship and leadership targeted to women in medical school or Ph.D. programs [5].
[1] Meeting, In. 2019. “A Mixed Ethnic Group of Medical Professionals Is Sitting around A...”
IStock. 2019. https://www.istockphoto.com/video/group-of-medical-professionals-sitting-around-table-in-meeting-gm1166850604-321566399.
[2] Shannon, Geordan, Melanie Jansen, Kate Williams, Carlos Cáceres, Angelica Motta, Aloyce
Odhiambo, Alie Eleveld, and Jenevieve Mannell. “Gender Equality in Science, Medicine, and Global Health: Where Are We at and Why Does It Matter?” The Lancet 393, no. 10171 (February 2019): 560–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(18)33135-0.
[3] Shannon, "Gender Equality", 560-69.
[4] "Organizational Context and Female Faculty’s Perception of the Climate for Women in
Academic
Medicine| Journal of Women’s Health.” Journal of Women’s Health, 2017. https://www-liebertpub-com.mutex.gmu.edu/doi/10.1089/jwh.2016.6020.
[5] “What’s Holding Women in Medicine Back from Leadership.” Harvard Business Review, June
19, 2018. https://hbr.org/2018/06/whats-holding-women-in-medicine-back-from-leadership.