Women faculty: An analysis of their experiences in academic medicine and their coping strategies

Inadequate Progress for Women in Academic Medicine: Findings from the National Faculty Study

“…3 Other studies have found that medical schools fail to create and/or sustain an accepting environment for women. 7 Individual disciplines have also documented issues with the gender environment. 11,12 Some studies suggest that academic medicine fails to provide support for both men and women faculty and that the current structures and economic environment are resulting in retention and promotion issues for all faculty.…”

“…Although a recent survey of US and Canadian medical school deans suggested that the culture for women had improved, 5 other studies have found that the climate in academic medicine fails to support women. 6,7,8 We sought to explore the opinions of individuals who have a leadership role to address the climate for women, including institutional members of the AAMC GWIMS. We conducted qualitative interviews to explore the gender climate (i.e., support for women to achieve gender parity) for women in academic medicine as perceived by members of GWIMS and the Group on Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) of the AAMC as senior leaders with longevity at their medical schools with a unique perspective over time.…”

Preparing Culture Change Agents for Academic Medicine in a Multi-Institutional Consortium: The C - Change Learning Action Network

“…45 55,56 and its impact on faculty in academic medical centers into focus, we planned a series of data-action cycles. In early LAN meetings, quotations, derived from the Interview Study [1][2][3][4][5][6]8 at the participating schools, were read aloud. In small rotating groups, each focusing on a theme in the qualitative data, LAN members discussed the meaning of these data.…”

“…The deans of these schools agreed to participate personally in the LAN, and to have their faculty confidentially interviewed (Interview Study [1][2][3][4][5][6]8 ) and surveyed (National Faculty Survey 7,15,24 ). With instructions about the need for diversity in LAN membership, the dean of each participating school submitted a list of potential faculty members, from which the LAN Development Team selected 3 per school.…”

Considering Context in Academic Medicine

“…34,35 Faculty who are in departments with a relatively low representation of their own race, gender, age group, or other easily observable characteristic may have different experiences of the organization than those in departments where their group enjoys greater representation. 36 The findings of one study suggest that when individuals have few peers of their own race, gender, or age group in their work setting, they are less likely to view their organization positively, more likely to leave, and less likely to be evaluated positively by supervisors. 37 In another study, the percentage of females within a department was inversely associated with perception of equitable treatment of women and faculty of color.…”