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Is Academic Medicine Making Mid-Career Women Physicians Invisible?
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Is Academic Medicine Making Mid-Career Women Physicians Invisible?

Resa E. Lewiss, Julie K. Silver, Carol A. Bernstein, Angela M. Mills, Barbara Overholser and Nancy D. Spector
Journal of women's health (Larchmont, N.Y. 2002), v 29(2), pp 187-192
01 Feb 2020
PMID: 31593525
url
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/jwh.2019.7732View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

General & Internal Medicine Life Sciences & Biomedicine Medicine, General & Internal Obstetrics & Gynecology Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Science & Technology Social Sciences Women's Studies
In this perspective piece, we describe a multifactorial phenomenon whereby academic women physicians become invisible in the mid-career stage. Barriers, both small and large, cause a cumulative inequity effect, and women may leave academic medicine. Certainly, family and lifestyle choices play a role. And as we describe, so is a situation created where women become discouraged and disillusioned. We describe the growing evidence of subtle disparities, or micro-inequities, that cause women to be less visible and marginalized. Over time, early career women transition to mid-career with an accumulation of these micro-inequities. Women have more difficulty in building their academic portfolios and curriculum vitae-core components of academic promotion. They comprise greater than 50% of the health care workforce; yet, they are underrepresented in top leadership positions. For example, only 22% of full professors, 18% of department chairs, and 17% of medical school deans are women. Macro-inequities, which are observable and measurable, are also well documented. For example, women receive less compensation than men for the same job. We examine the contributing and causative processes and offer suggestions on how to promote equity among highly qualified mid-career women as they graduate from training and move beyond the early career stage.

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137 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#4 Quality Education

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Women's Studies
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