Gender balance in the medical workplace–a snapshot into anesthesia

Noronha, Beatriz; Fuchs, Alexander; Zdravkovic, Marko; Berger-Estilita, Joana (2022). Gender balance in the medical workplace–a snapshot into anesthesia. Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical Care, 43, pp. 4-10. Elsevier 10.1016/j.tacc.2022.02.004

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There is a growing interest in gender equity issues in general society and medicine. Literature shows several publications addressing female underrepresentation in medicine and doctors' perceptions on gender equity. Similar holds for anaesthesiology and perioperative intensive medicine. Despite their equal representation in medical schools, women remain a minority in many fields, and the gender ratio in the workforce, including leadership positions, is dominated by men. However, many studies support that women’s presence in a group enhances the team’s skill diversity, leads to a more stable governance and can improve patients’ outcomes. Four main explanations for the gender gap constitute the pollution theory, unconscious gender bias, motherhood penalty and impostor syndrome. Understanding these processes can help develop successful strategies to achieve gender balance. Our goals were to review evidence regarding gender and productivity, understand gender discrimination and discuss potential strategies towards achieving gender equity and equality, particularly in anaesthesiology. These insights could inform faculty development programs and help guide institutional changes. Raising awareness of the gender imbalance, having zero tolerance towards discrimination, answering the inequity situations in a goal-oriented way and developing strategies as mentorship programs should be initiated and reinforced to address the issues mentioned.

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