Trends in female representation in gastroenterology fellowships in the United States

Career selection trends among recent gastroenterology fellowship graduates

“…Possible reasons for the lack of women in sub-specialty training are a lack of female mentorship, gender-specific bias, work-life balance, and a low proportion of women in gastroenterology leadership positions in academic medicine and professional societies. [ 23 ] There have been only 12 women elected as Presidents of the 4 major gastroenterology societies in the US (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterology Association, and American Association for the Study of Liver Disease) since their foundation. [ 23 ] Female gastroenterologists also tend to hold fewer leadership positions in academic medicine.…”

“…[ 23 ] There have been only 12 women elected as Presidents of the 4 major gastroenterology societies in the US (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterology Association, and American Association for the Study of Liver Disease) since their foundation. [ 23 ] Female gastroenterologists also tend to hold fewer leadership positions in academic medicine. According to American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy’s match program, only 12% of incoming advanced endoscopy fellows were women, and this is due to concerns about childbearing and radiation exposure.…”

“…In addition, women face gender-specific difficulties in the practice of endoscopy, such as smaller hands that make endoscope manipulation harder, and they also report experiencing more pain, including severe pain, compared to male physicians. [ 23 , 26 ] The prevalence of workplace sexual harassment, experienced by one in 3 women, [ 27 ] is an often underreported issue contributing to the decline in female interest in pursuing additional training and leadership roles. Underreporting, fear of retaliation, and dissatisfaction with responses further exacerbate the problem.…”

CPG publishing: ‘Man’‐uscripts reign supreme

“…Sex‐biased clinical trials 1 and healthcare algorithms 2 can impact care of women patients, who are made to wait longer to be seen by physicians, 3 and are more likely to have their symptoms attributed to mental illness 4 . Meanwhile, women's career development in medicine and research can be hampered by lower salaries, 5 under‐representation in prominent authorships 6 and skewed citation practices 7 . Gender bias also negatively impacts men, who are confronted with gender stereotypes of which career choices in medicine are suitable, 8,9 expectations of how they should behave in a given specialty 8,10 and limited availability of paid paternity leave 11 .…”

Women in Gastroenterology: What Is the Current Situation? Results of an Italian National Survey

“…Still, after years of studying and training, they have to deal with reality and realize how difficult it is, even today, to be a woman, a doctor, a mother, and a wife at the same time. In some cases, women prefer specialties that offer more flexibility for time outside the hospital and on family life [ 1 ], choosing to put their true passions in the background. Despite almost 50% of medical students being women, in numerous specialties women remain underrepresented, with the smallest percentages, especially in procedure-based ones, including gastroenterology [ 1 ].…”