Abstract
PurposeDespite increasing numbers of women entering anesthesiology training, women remain underrepresented in senior academic positions and leadership roles. This study aims to determine the extent of gender disparity in Canadian departments of anesthesiology. In addition, we explore the correlation between publication productivity and academic rank in this cohort.MethodsThe Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) was queried to identify 17 training programs for anesthesiology. Department websites were searched to determine the names of faculty members, as well as gender, leadership roles, and academic ranks. The SCOPUS© database was used to generate the number of publications, number of citations, publication range, and h-index of each faculty member.ResultsIn our study cohort of 1404 academic anesthesiologists, 30.1% were women. Women held a minority of 130 leadership positions (27%, n = 35). With increasing academic rank female representation decreased (p = 0.009), such that 21% of full professors were women. Overall, male anesthesiologists had a higher h-index, number of publications, and number of citations (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = <0.001, respectively) than women.ConclusionDespite growing numbers of women entering the academic workforce, women are underrepresented in senior academic ranks and leadership positions. In addition, men and women have significant differences in measures of publication productivity. This study underscores the importance of directed efforts to promote equity in career outcomes.
Highlights
It is two decades since medical school enrollment reached equal numbers of men and women [1]
Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) data show that women are as likely as men to successfully obtain their top choice residency program, suggesting that equity has been achieved at the level of entering the specialty [4]
The objective of this study is to examine the gender balance of Canadian anesthesiologists in academic settings and the associations with academic rank, leadership roles, and research productivity
Summary
It is two decades since medical school enrollment reached equal numbers of men and women [1]. Following the rise of female medical students, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of women entering the field of anesthesiology. Women represent 33% of Canadian anesthesiologists, which is a dramatic improvement from 25% in 2005, and 22% in 1998 [2,3]. Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) data show that women are as likely as men to successfully obtain their top choice residency program, suggesting that equity has been achieved at the level of entering the specialty [4]. Improved gender diversity has assuredly impacted anesthesiology in a positive manner, as women physicians are known to spend more time counselling patients, better follow guidelines, and have lower mortality and readmission rates [5,6,7]
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