Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study

Abstract Background The long-standing underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in medicine is well-known, but poorly documented globally. There is some evidence of the gender gap in academia, medical society leadership, or specific problems in some specialties. However, there are no inve...

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Main Authors: Claudia Santucci, Beatriz González López-Valcarcel, Cristina Avendaño-Solá, Mari Carmen Bautista, Carmen Gallardo Pino, Lourdes Lledó García, Elena Martín-Perez, Pilar Garrido López
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2023-09-01
Series:Human Resources for Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-023-00860-2
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author Claudia Santucci
Beatriz González López-Valcarcel
Cristina Avendaño-Solá
Mari Carmen Bautista
Carmen Gallardo Pino
Lourdes Lledó García
Elena Martín-Perez
Pilar Garrido López
author_facet Claudia Santucci
Beatriz González López-Valcarcel
Cristina Avendaño-Solá
Mari Carmen Bautista
Carmen Gallardo Pino
Lourdes Lledó García
Elena Martín-Perez
Pilar Garrido López
author_sort Claudia Santucci
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background The long-standing underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in medicine is well-known, but poorly documented globally. There is some evidence of the gender gap in academia, medical society leadership, or specific problems in some specialties. However, there are no investigations analyzing all medical specialties together and reporting the glass ceiling from a 360º perspective that includes positions in academia, research, professional organizations, and clinical activity. Additionally, the majority of studies have a US perspective, and we wonder if the perspective of a European country might be different. The WOmen in MEDicine in Spain (WOMEDS) project ( https://womeds.es ) aims to describe and characterize, in a systematic and detailed way, the gender bias in the medical profession in Spain in order to monitor its evolution over time and contribute to prioritizing gender policies. Methods We retrieved data for the calendar years 2019–2021 from several sources and selected surveys. We built four groups of indicators to describe leadership positions in the medical profession: (i) leadership in healthcare according to specialty and region; (ii) leadership in scientific and professional bodies; (iii) academic career; and (iv) leadership in clinical research activity. As a summary measure, we reported the women ratios, calculated as the percentage of women in specific top positions divided by the percentage of women in the relevant population. Results We found gender inequity in leadership positions in all four settings. During the observed period, only 27.6% of the heads of departments in hospitals were women compared to 61.1% of women in medical staff. Ten of the 46 medical societies grouped in the Spanish Federation of Medical Societies (FACME) (21.7%) had a women president at some point during the study period, and only 4 annual congresses had ratios of women speakers higher than 1. Women were over-represented in the lower positions and underrepresented in the top academic ones. Only 26% and 27%, respectively, of the heads of departments and deans were women. The applications for public funding for research projects are led by women only in 45% of the cases, and the budget granted to women in public calls was 24.3% lower than that of men. Conclusion In all the areas analyzed, the leadership positions are still mostly occupied by men despite the feminization of medicine in Spain. The severe gender inequity found calls for urgent interventions within a defined time horizon. Such measures must concern all levels, from national or regional regulation to changes in organizational culture or incentives in specific organizations.
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spelling doaj.art-56fea65df6a04a7183564d9582f17b5a2023-11-20T09:38:03ZengBMCHuman Resources for Health1478-44912023-09-0121111310.1186/s12960-023-00860-2Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) studyClaudia Santucci0Beatriz González López-Valcarcel1Cristina Avendaño-Solá2Mari Carmen Bautista3Carmen Gallardo Pino4Lourdes Lledó García5Elena Martín-Perez6Pilar Garrido López7Department of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Management, University of Las PalmasDepartment of Quantitative Methods for Economics and Management, University of Las PalmasDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro-MajadahondaMedical Council of Las Palmas, Spain and University of Las Palmas de Gran CanariaFaculty of Health Sciences, Rey Juan Carlos UniversityFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Alcalá UniversityDepartment of Surgery, Hospital Universitario la PrincesaFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Alcalá UniversityAbstract Background The long-standing underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in medicine is well-known, but poorly documented globally. There is some evidence of the gender gap in academia, medical society leadership, or specific problems in some specialties. However, there are no investigations analyzing all medical specialties together and reporting the glass ceiling from a 360º perspective that includes positions in academia, research, professional organizations, and clinical activity. Additionally, the majority of studies have a US perspective, and we wonder if the perspective of a European country might be different. The WOmen in MEDicine in Spain (WOMEDS) project ( https://womeds.es ) aims to describe and characterize, in a systematic and detailed way, the gender bias in the medical profession in Spain in order to monitor its evolution over time and contribute to prioritizing gender policies. Methods We retrieved data for the calendar years 2019–2021 from several sources and selected surveys. We built four groups of indicators to describe leadership positions in the medical profession: (i) leadership in healthcare according to specialty and region; (ii) leadership in scientific and professional bodies; (iii) academic career; and (iv) leadership in clinical research activity. As a summary measure, we reported the women ratios, calculated as the percentage of women in specific top positions divided by the percentage of women in the relevant population. Results We found gender inequity in leadership positions in all four settings. During the observed period, only 27.6% of the heads of departments in hospitals were women compared to 61.1% of women in medical staff. Ten of the 46 medical societies grouped in the Spanish Federation of Medical Societies (FACME) (21.7%) had a women president at some point during the study period, and only 4 annual congresses had ratios of women speakers higher than 1. Women were over-represented in the lower positions and underrepresented in the top academic ones. Only 26% and 27%, respectively, of the heads of departments and deans were women. The applications for public funding for research projects are led by women only in 45% of the cases, and the budget granted to women in public calls was 24.3% lower than that of men. Conclusion In all the areas analyzed, the leadership positions are still mostly occupied by men despite the feminization of medicine in Spain. The severe gender inequity found calls for urgent interventions within a defined time horizon. Such measures must concern all levels, from national or regional regulation to changes in organizational culture or incentives in specific organizations.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-023-00860-2Gender inequityHealth Services ResearchGender inequity in medicineFeminization of medicine
spellingShingle Claudia Santucci
Beatriz González López-Valcarcel
Cristina Avendaño-Solá
Mari Carmen Bautista
Carmen Gallardo Pino
Lourdes Lledó García
Elena Martín-Perez
Pilar Garrido López
Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
Human Resources for Health
Gender inequity
Health Services Research
Gender inequity in medicine
Feminization of medicine
title Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
title_full Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
title_fullStr Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
title_full_unstemmed Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
title_short Gender inequity in the medical profession: the women doctors in Spain (WOMEDS) study
title_sort gender inequity in the medical profession the women doctors in spain womeds study
topic Gender inequity
Health Services Research
Gender inequity in medicine
Feminization of medicine
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-023-00860-2
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