AB0871-HPR WOMEN IN RHEUMATOLOGY: BARRIERS, LIMITATIONS, AND GENDER INEQUALITY

Abstract

Background:In the last decades there has been a great progress towards gender equality in medicine, and this can be reflected in the proportion of women in Rheumatology, which has been on the rise recently. However, there continues to be a need for women to be able to succeed on equal opportunities with men (1).Objectives:The aim of this study was to recognize the professional limitations and barriers that Mexican female rheumatologists must face.Methods:Female rheumatologists were invited to participate. An online survey was applied anonymously, consisting of questions regarding demographic characteristics, professional, academic and research activities, as well as perceptions of gender discrimination and limitations of their profession.Results:A total of 127 female rheumatologists voluntarily answered the electronic survey. Most of them were aged between 30 and 35 years (40.9%) and had 1-5 years of professional practice (40.2%) (Table 1); 52% have children and 42.4% of them consider that motherhood has had a negative impact on their professional life; 75.6% of female rheumatologists do not work on research activities and only 20.5% have participated in international congresses in the last 5 years; 80.5% report not participating in medical colleges (as leaders or board members). The three main reasons female rheumatologists refer as limitations on their profession are: having other priorities (34.6%), lack of time (32.3%) and lack of support from their peers/bosses (23.6%). Almost half women (45.7%) consider not being discriminated because of their gender in their profession, while the rest of them consider that they are or may be.Table 1.Demographic characteristics.Age, n (%)Younger than 35 years52 (40.9%)From 35 to 40 years29 (22.8%)From 40 to 45 years16 (12.6%)From 45 to 50 years12 (9.4%)Older than 50 years18 (14.2%)Marital status, n (%)Married66 (52%)Single38 (29.9%)Free union13 (10.2%)Divorced8 (6.3%)Widowed2 (1.6%)Years of professional practice, n (%)From 1 to 5 years51 (40.2%)From 5 to 10 years31 (24.4%)From 10 to 15 years16 (12.6%)From 15 to 20 years10 (7.9%)More than 20 years19 (15%)Conclusion:We found that most female rheumatologists are young and with a few years of professional practice, which coincides with the recent increase in the proportion of women in Rheumatology; and perhaps this is the reason why there is low participation in research activities and medical colleges. It is relevant that almost half of them perceive their gender as a reason of discrimination in their professional life. We consider that initiating the conversation of gender equality in Rheumatology, in national and international forums, and to actively search for a strategy to support and encourage our colleagues, are priorities at this moment.