An article published in Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that the number of women in leadership positions in nine clinical specialties is much lower than the number of men, despite the fact that the number of men and women in medical schools and residency programs is nearly equal, according to a Medscape report.
Here are five insights:
1. The researchers searched the websites of 950 academic departments of nine specialties to determine the gender of the department heads.
2. The specialties included in the analysis were anesthesiology, diagnostic radiology, general surgery, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, pathology, pediatrics and psychiatry.
3. Overall, women accounted for 13.9 percent of department chairs, 22.6 percent of vice chairs, 21.6 percent of division directors and 39 percent of residency program directors.
3. Diagnostic radiology showed the highest representation ratio of women as department chairs.
4. The highest representation ratio of women as residency program directors was in general surgery.
5. However, across all nine specialties the proportion of men in department-based leadership roles was higher than women.