Female Role Models Research Articles

Reasons and resolutions for gender inequality among cardiologists and cardiology trainees.

Women represented 29% of cardiology trainees and 16% of consultants in the UK in 2021. While the numbers of women in cardiology have increased over the last 20 years, these proportions remain among the lowest in comparison with other medical specialties. This essay aims to explore the contributing factors behind, and plans to reduce, gender disparity in cardiology. PubMed was searched using keywords such as 'gender', 'inequality', 'women', 'training' and 'cardiology'. Retrieved studies were screened for themes contributing towards, and strategies to overcome, gender inequality within cardiology. Reasons for gender inequality included poor perceptions of cardiology as a female-friendly specialty, experiences of gender-based discrimination, inflexible working hours, poor work- life balance, and lack of female role models. Recommended resolutions should target these themes; increase opportunities for flexible working hours, enforce a discrimination-free workplace culture, and encourage mentoring relationships between female senior and junior doctors. Improving the experience of the existing female workforce in cardiology will have a knock-on effect on the perceptions of trainees rotating through departments, in addition to initiatives promoting cardiology as a female-friendly specialty. In conclusion, promoting gender equality within cardiology remains an ongoing challenge. Nationwide efforts to increase retention and improve perceptions should target issues highlighted by the voices of women.

Gender and/or Religiosity? – Intersectional approach to the challenges of religious women in STEM fields

This paper aims to extend the discussion on intersectionality by focusing on the intersection between gender and religiosity while addressing the main challenges which face young religious Jewish women in Israel who have chosen the STEM path. The paper is based on a qualitative narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with 45 participants (female Jewish religious students, their mothers, and secondary school science teachers). The findings revealed six structural challenges faced by young religious women in the STEM path: 1) difficulties in managing a healthy balance between family and career; 2) alienation; 3) disapprobative environmental reaction in the religious community; 4) lack of female religious role models; 5) Jewish religious traditions as a limiting factor when competing with secular counterparts; and 6) the paradox of the supportive environment in all-female religious secondary schools. According to the women’s narratives, the religiosity component in some challenges is more salient and pronounced than gender.

Approaches Nonprofit Organizations Use to Engage Women in Engineering

The engineering field has one of the lowest rates of female employment. In order to promote women in the field of engineering, many nonprofit organizations have formed with the purpose of increasing female engineers and retaining women already working in the field. The current study explores the approaches nonprofit organizations that promote female engineers use to engage women through semi-structured interviews with representatives and a content analysis of their websites. Findings revealed six major themes: their mission, portrayal of engineering, harassment in the workplace, female role models, community, and member demographic. With the exploration of these themes, it was found that each organization was built on a basis of belonging with each of these themes tying to the idea of allowing women to feel as though they have a place in the engineering field. Each organization had their own unique strategies in order to achieve this goal of “fueling belonging”. Future research should increase the sample size to include more organizations to further identify the approaches these nonprofits use and work in increase the employment of female engineers.

The impact of gendered experiences on female medical students’ specialty choice: A systematic review

BackgroundWomen make up 50% of American medical school graduates, yet are not equally represented in the vast spectrum of medical specialties. Many fields within medicine remain male dominated. This systematic review will explore social factors that affect female medical students’ specialty choice. HypothesisGendered experiences influence the specialty choice of female medical students, resulting in their concentration in a specific cohort of specialties. MethodsStudies were gathered by searching MEDLINE/Pubmed and EBSCOhost for sociological factors that impact female medical students’ specialty choice. Results34 articles were selected for this systematic review. Factors that contribute to gender segregation within medical specialties include gender discrimination, socialization, lifestyle considerations, negative perceptions of male-dominated medical specialties and lack of female role models. ConclusionThis systematic review supported the hypothesis that gendered experiences impact women's medical specialty choice, and thus result in their concentration in specialties such as family medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology.

Analysis of barriers, supports and gender gap in the choice of STEM studies in secondary education

Society is more digitised than ever and there is an urgent need to train people in these sectors, where women are still under-represented. A quantitative descriptive, correlational and explanatory descriptive design was used to identify barriers, supports and gender gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Secondary Education by analysing the interest and perception of 1562 students and 432 teachers. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Lambda test and Crame’s V or Phi test were performed together with a qualitative analysis. The results show that fewer female students want to pursue STEM studies, with girls preferring health and education professions and boys preferring engineering and computer science. Indeed, their motivation is different since we found correlations between being a girl and choosing STEM for helping people and society, while earning money is important for boys. Girls believe more necessary than boys to have qualities to study STEM and less often perceive themselves as intelligent and courageous. Our study revealed that families and teachers encourage more boys than girls towards STEM activities. Teachers believe that girls are influence by preconceived ideas, lack of STEM knowledge and lower self-esteem. Regarding gender equality, almost half state that no objectives are included in the curricula, 43.85% do not include it in subjects and only 30% received training. Consequently, female vocations need to be promoted by teaching how STEM solves real-life problems, fostering creativity, increasing self-confidence, promoting STEM activities and making female role models visible. Teachers should receive more gender training and promote gender-sensitive STEM education.

Concerns for Gender-Based Discrimination in Surgical Fields Persist among Female Medical Students in the US

INTRODUCTION: With increasing proportions of female medical students, we must reevaluate their perceptions of surgical training to ensure that we are fostering gender equality. We sought to evaluate potential protective factors for concerns regarding gender-based discrimination (GBD) in pursuing a surgical career. METHODS: A survey was designed and distributed to study the perceptions of female medical students interested in surgery regarding the pursuit of surgery as a career. Chi-squared tests were performed to determine whether selecting GBD as a concern had any association with characteristics that were hypothesized to be protective. RESULTS: 100 female students from 28 US medical schools responded. 64% of respondents expressed concern for GBD in pursuing a surgical career (Figure). Thirty-two percent had female surgeon role models, 42% had research mentors in surgery, 62% held a leadership position, 77% were a member of a surgical interest group, 29% had completed core surgical clerkship. Respectively, in these subgroups, 66%, 69%, 62%, 64%, and 75% were concerned about GBD. GBD concern was not found to be different when comparing those with these characteristics to those without (p values > 0.05).Figure.: Proportions of female medical students with concerns for gender-based discrimination in pursuit of surgical fields.CONCLUSION: Most female students have concerns about GBD in pursuing surgical fields. Having female role models or research mentors in surgery, leadership positions, membership of a surgical interest group, completing surgical clerkship were not associated with lower proportions of students expressing concerns about GBD in the pursuit of surgery as a career.

Women in trauma and orthopaedics: are we losing them at the first hurdle?

Diversity in the healthcare workforce is associated with improved performance and patient-reported outcomes. Gender disparity in Trauma and Orthopaedics (T&O) is well recognised. The aim of this study was to compare factors that influence career choice in T&O between male and female final-year students. Furthermore, the trend of representation of women in T&O over the last decade was also compared with other surgical specialities. An online survey of final-year students who attended nationally advertised T&O courses over a 2-year period was conducted. Data from NHS digital was obtained to assess gender diversity in T&O compared with other surgical specialities. A total of 414 students from 13 UK medical schools completed the questionnaire. Compared with male students (34.2%), a significantly higher proportion of women (65.8%) decided against a career in T&O, p<0.001. Factors that dissuaded a significantly higher percentage of women included gender bias, technical aspects of surgery, unsociable hours, on-call commitments, inadequate undergraduate training and interest in another specialty (p<0.05). Motivating factors for choosing a career in T&O were similar between both sexes. T&O was the surgical specialty with the lowest proportion of women at both consultant and trainee level over the last decade. T&O remains an unpopular career choice among women. To enhance recruitment of women in T&O, future strategies should be directed toward medical students. Universities, orthopaedic departments and societies must work collaboratively to embed culture change, improve the delivery of the undergraduate curriculum, and facilitate students' exposure to operating theatres and female role models.

Pioneers in pathology and female role models: the Jewish scientists Rahel Rodler, Ruth Silberberg, Lotte Strauss and Zelma Wessely

AbstractSo far, female physicians have played a minor role in scientific studies of Nazi victims; this also applies to specialists in pathology. Against this background, the present study examines the biographies of the outstanding Jewish pathologists Rahel Rodler (1878–1944), Ruth Silberberg (1906–97), Lotte Strauss (1913–85) and Zelma Wessely (1914–2004). The focus is on their roles as women scientists and their fateful careers after the Nazi rise to power, embedded in the context of the position of women in medical studies and the medical profession of their time as well as in the subject of pathology. The study is primarily based on archival sources from various German, Austrian and Swiss state and university archives, from the British National Archives and from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington DC. The paper provides three key findings: (1) The four female pathologists were rare exceptions in the contemporary pathological scientific community with a quantitative share of less than 5%. (2) They experienced discrimination on two levels (gender and ‘race’). (3) Thanks to professional excellence and continued dedication, three of the four female pathologists were able to escape from Nazi Germany and achieve remarkable careers in emigration. It can be concluded that Rodler, Silberberg, Strauss and Wessely rose to female role models and pioneer scientists in contemporary pathology.

Walking in Her Shoes: Pretending to Be a Female Role Model Increases Young Girls’ Persistence in Science

Pretend play is a ubiquitous learning tool in early childhood, enabling children to explore possibilities outside of their current reality. Here, we demonstrate how pretend play can be leveraged to empower girls in scientific domains. American children ages 4 to 7 years (N = 240) played a challenging science activity in one of three conditions. Children in the exposure condition heard about a successful gender-matched scientist, children in the roleplay condition pretended to be that scientist, and children in the baseline condition did not receive information about the scientist. Girls in the roleplay condition, but not in the exposure condition, persisted longer in the science activity than girls in the baseline condition. Pretending to be the scientist equated girls’ persistence to that of boys. These findings suggest that pretend play of role models motivates young girls in science and may help reduce gender gaps from their roots.

Female Models in AI and the Fight Against COVID-19.

Gender imbalance has persisted over time and is well documented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and singularly in artificial intelligence (AI). In this article we emphasize the importance of increasing the visibility and recognition of women researchers to attract and retain women in the AI field. We review the ratio of women in STEM and AI, its evolution through time, and the differences among disciplines. Then, we discuss the main sources of this gender imbalance highlighting the lack of female role models and the problems which may arise; such as the so called Marie Curie complex, suvivorship bias, and impostor syndrome. We also emphasize the importance of active participation of women researchers in conferences, providing statistics corresponding with the leading conferences. Finally, to support these views, we give examples of several prestigious female researchers in the field and we review their research work related to COVID-19 displayed in the workshop "Artificial Intelligence for the Fight Against COVID-19" (AI4FA COVID-19), which is an example of a more balanced participation between genders.

634 Future Women in Surgery and the Role of Mentorship

Abstract Aim To understand the role of mentorship for female doctors in the decision- making process of pursuing surgery as a specialty or residency training. Method A systematic review of literature employing databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE using the key words ‘Female”, “Surgery'', “Mentorship”. Inclusion criteria included articles in English between 2011–2021 to reflect the contemporary nature. Exclusion criteria include articles that are not in English and outside of the time frame 2011–2021. A thematic analysis was conducted to interpret the findings. Results 12 studies were included in this study. The results showed that mentorship was a key component in the decision- making process in the pursuit of a surgical career. Common themes showed that work-life balance was an obstacle for women to pursue surgery; a positive role model was pivotal in gaining insights into what a surgical career entail. Increasing use of social media has made mentorship more accessible for women pursuing surgery especially in locations where female role models were deficient. Mentorship was perceived to be a key factor in inspiring junior female doctors to pursue surgery. Conclusions Mentorship and positive role models are a crucial factor in encouraging female doctors to pursue surgery. The absence of visibility of female role models in surgery presents a current problem and recommendations would be to encourage more female surgeons to become mentors to encourage the next generation of female surgeons.

943 Gender Inequalities in Surgery: A Literature Review and Social Media Analysis.

Abstract Aim This study identified the current barriers to women in surgery in the UK and evaluated the hashtags that are broadcast via Twitter to expose gender bias within surgery. Method A literature review was conducted using key terms to identify the barriers to women in surgery. A Twitter search was conducted via NVivo and Ncapture using keywords to identify the hashtags categorising gender bias and sexism in the surgical profession. Tweet content was qualitatively evaluated to assess gender-based inequalities in surgery in the UK. Tweets were further evaluated to identify evidence of trolling or dismissive behaviour towards surgical sexism. Results The literature review identified work-family imbalance, lack of female surgical role models, inflexibility of working hours, the gender pay gap, and female objectification as key barriers to women in surgery. Twitter analysis demonstrated evidence of surgical gender bias throughout UK surgical training using #Surgical#Sexism #HammerItOut #CutItOut and #NHSMeToo, with minimal evidence of trolling and dismissive comments. Twitter provided a platform to support and praise users that speak out against surgical gender bias, including whistleblowers. Conclusions Twitter as a social media platform can provide an environment to support users who may be experiencing gender-based bias within their surgical workplace. Twitter may also demonstrate further purpose as a useful aid in whistleblowing within healthcare.

The Long-Term Role Model Effect of Prizes to Female Scientists

One of the most important reasons for the under representation of female researchers in many academic disciplines is a masculine culture. Female role models can play an important role in changing the perceptions about a masculine domain leading to more interest and entry into these fields. In this paper we look at the long term effect of sudden role models, namely female awardees of prestigious prizes. To test our theoretical framework we use a unique longitudinal data set of a comprehensive population of 40 million active scientists since 1970. We find that after the first female prize winner in a certain country and field, the share of active female scientists in that country and field increases by 3 p.p. on average. Since the share of women in our sample is below 30% in most countries, this corresponds roughly to a 10% increase from baseline.

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Three Black Women Surgeons Ascend to Chairs of Departments of Surgery.

Shattering Glass Ceilings: Three Black Women Surgeons Ascend to Chairs of Departments of Surgery.

Can Female Doctors Cure the Gender STEMM Gap? Evidence from Exogenously Assigned General Practitioners

Abstract We use exogenously assigned general practitioners to study the effects of female role models on girls' educational outcomes. Girls who are exposed to female general practitioners are more likely to sort into male-dominated education programs in high school, most notably science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). These effects persist as they enter college and select majors. The effects are larger for high-ability girls with low-educated mothers, suggesting that female role models improve intergenerational mobility and narrow the gifted gap. This demonstrates that role model effects in education need not involve individuals in the classroom but can arise due to everyday interactions with medical professionals.

Psychological cognition and women's entrepreneurship: A country-based comparison using fsQCA

Entrepreneurial activity measures a country's economic vitality. Studies have examined the psychological cognitive conditions that influence women's entrepreneurial activity by considering the effects of individual psychological cognitive conditions in isolation while ignoring their interdependence. Based on the necessary condition analysis and the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study utilized data from the 2021 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for 42 countries and explored the complex causal mechanisms driving women's entrepreneurial activity. We observed that (1) a single psychological cognitive factor does not constitute a necessary condition for high female entrepreneurial activity (FEA), despite high entrepreneurial expectation and capability perception (CP); (2) the driving mechanisms for high and low FEA can be categorized into three and four pathways, respectively. There is an asymmetric relationship between the driving paths of high and low FEA. Finally, we propose three measures to support female entrepreneurship: optimizing female psychological cognition, improving female CP, and establishing excellent female entrepreneurial role models.

Female Role Models and Labor Force Participation: The Case of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

Female Role Models and Labor Force Participation: The Case of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

Gendered representations in Jordanian textbooks: A combined quantitative and qualitative analysis based on UNESCO guidelines for the promotion of gender equality

Recent studies describe Jordan as a context where the encounter between modernity and tradition in the framework of neo-liberal transformations in the labour market have brought about paradoxes affecting women’s lives. Despite several policies to implement gender equality introduced by the government, the rapid reduction of the gender gap in education experienced in the last decades is slow to be carried over into areas of social and economic life. Stemming from this backdrop, this article aims at contributing to the scholarly discussion about the influence of patriarchal constructs in Jordanian educational and labour market. The article considers textbooks as tools for social change and focuses on qualitative and quantitative analysis of a sample of most recent student books addressing the entry, middle and final stages of primary education in mathematics. By providing a detailed analysis of gendered representations in the sample, the article highlights the implementation of relevant strategies to safeguard gender inclusion and equity. At the same time, it points at the underrepresentation of female role models and at the reiteration of some stereotypical social constructs, especially representing women as alienated from specific working sectors as the vocational one.

Overcoming barriers for women entering the urology workforce in the United Kingdom

Background: Urology has considerable gender disparity with just 10.3% of UK consultant posts held by women and lower than the 13.2% average across all surgical specialties. Medicine is no longer a male-dominated vocation, with women making up the majority of medical graduates for almost 30 years. To recruit the highest calibre doctors, urology needs to appeal and be accessible to all talented individuals. Objective: In this paper we explore barriers to workforce diversity and propose solutions to the current problems. Methods: A literature review was conducted and authors’ opinions explored. Results: Reasons for women avoiding a career in urology include perceptions of urology as a ‘male’ specialty, lack of female role models, less mentoring and sponsorship of female medical students and trainees, and the use of derogatory and devaluing language. We suggest solutions to overcome these barriers for the benefit of profession. Conclusions: While there is a way to go to reach gender parity, there are reasons to be optimistic. We propose to see more women supported through mentoring programmes, more female representation on panels and in leadership positions to raise the profile of women in urology. We need to create a workplace culture and flexible working patterns that encourages all genders to excel.

Identifying predictors of equitable gender representation among hematology and oncology fellowship programs.

11055 Background: While gender disparities have largely been bridged among hematology and oncology fellows at the national level, there exist many individual fellowship programs that still have marked gender disparity. Our study is the first to examine gender differences among fellows at an institutional level in order to model characteristics of hematology and oncology programs that lead to more equitable gender representation. Methods: For each of the 148 hematology or oncology fellowship programs listed in the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database, we collected data on gender, faculty academic rank, and fellow postgraduate year as listed on individual program websites. Further, a program was identified as an academic center if it had an affiliated medical school. Zip code data was used to identify geographic region, local population density, and racial diversity of each program’s surrounding neighborhood. Multiple linear regression was used to model which factors contributed to a program having a higher percentage of female fellows. Results: 3600 faculty and 1488 fellows were included in the analysis. While women were well represented nationally among fellows (46.4%), 52.4% of fellowship programs had fewer than 50% women, and 28.6% of programs had fewer than 35% women. An individual program was more likely to have more female fellows if it had a higher percentage of female assistant professors (p&lt;0.01), associate professors (p&lt;0.01), assistant professors overall (p&lt;0.01), a female program director (PD) or associate program director (APD) (p=0.02), and a designation as an academic center (p&lt;0.01). Notably, the percentage of female full professors had no significant impact (p=0.11) on whether a program was likely to have more female fellows. Conclusions: While women are well represented nationally among hematology and oncology fellows, nearly one in three fellowship programs still have significant gender disparity. Our multivariate model identified several significant factors that predict whether a program was likely to have gender parity among fellows: a higher percentage of female assistant professors, associate professors, assistant professors overall, a female PD or APD, and a designation as an academic center. Whether these factors together highlight the importance of accessible mentorship or direct female faculty role models requires further study. However, by beginning to identify these significant factors, we hope to aid fellowship programs focus efforts when trying to achieve equitable gender representation.[Table: see text]