Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the number of women doctors has increased in South Korea, and efforts to improve gender awareness have gained importance in recent years, the issue of gender equity in the medical field has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the current status of gender equity in the medical profession in Korea.MethodsAn online survey on perceived gender discrimination was conducted for 2 months, with both men and women doctors participating. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 1170 doctors responded to the survey (9.2% response rate). The survey found that 47.3% of the women respondents and 18.2% of the men had experienced gender discrimination in the resident selection process (P < 0.05), 17.2% of the women and 8.7% of the men had experienced discrimination during the fellowship application process (P < 0.05), and 36.2% of the women and 8.0% of the men had experienced discrimination during the professorship application process (P < 0.05). Both men and women cited the issue of childbirth and parenting as the number one cause of gender discrimination against women doctors.ConclusionsThis study revealed the presence of perceived gender discrimination in the Korean medical society. To address discrimination, a basic approach is necessary to change the working environment so that it is flexible for women doctors, and to change the current culture where the burden of family care, including pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, is the primary responsibility of women.
Highlights
The number of women doctors has increased in South Korea, and efforts to improve gender awareness have gained importance in recent years, the issue of gender equity in the medical field has not been fully evaluated
In terms of the department, 47.5% of the women and 39.5% of the men were in internal medicine, 14.2% of the women and 23.4% of the men were in surgery, and 38.3% and 37.1% were in others
The percentage who reported gender discrimination in employment, promotion, salary negotiations, and decisionmaking at hospitals was 37.4%, 23.0%, 12.6%, and 21.1%, respectively, among women, and 10.0%, 5.2%, 4.1%, and 4.0%, respectively, among men. Both men and women cited the issue of childbirth and parenting as the number one cause of gender discrimination against women doctors (Fig. 1)
Summary
The number of women doctors has increased in South Korea, and efforts to improve gender awareness have gained importance in recent years, the issue of gender equity in the medical field has not been fully evaluated. In another study by the Korean Women’s Medical Association in 2011, women residents said that women doctors faced disadvantages during their employment at hospitals, with 19.6% agreeing strongly and 30.8% agreeing slightly, compared to 17.2% who disagreed slightly and 9.3% who disagreed strongly [4]. Efforts to improve gender awareness have gained importance in recent years, the issue of gender equity in the medical field has not been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to identify the current status of gender equity in the medical field in Korea and to generate basic data about online survey asking perceived gender discrimination that could help establish an environment that promotes gender equity
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