The role of gender as a barrier to the professional development of psychiatrists


Creative Commons License

KILIÇ Ö., Riecher-Rössler A., Galderisi S., Gorwood P., Frangou S., Pinto Da Costa M.

European Psychiatry, cilt.66, sa.1, 2023 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 66 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.2462
  • Dergi Adı: European Psychiatry
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, BIOSIS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: bias, discrimination, gender, sex, sexual harassment, women
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Bezmiâlem Vakıf Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background: Despite efforts toward greater gender equality in clinical and academic psychiatry in recent years, more information is needed about the challenges in professional development within psychiatry, and how these may vary with gender. Methods: A cross-sectional 27-item online survey was conducted with psychiatrists and psychiatric trainee members of the European Psychiatric Association. Results: A total of 561 psychiatrists and psychiatric trainees from 35 European countries participated representing a response rate of 52.8% for women and 17.7% for men from a total sample of 1580. The specific challenges that women face in their professional development fall into two categories. One comprised of women's negative attitudes concerning their abilities in self-promotion and networking. The other identified environmental barriers related to lack of opportunity and support and gender discrimination. Compared to men, women reported higher rates of gender discrimination in terms of professional advancement. Women were less likely to agree that their institutions had regular activities promoting inclusion, diversity, and training to address implicit gender bias. Working in high-income countries compared to middle-income countries relates to reporting institutional support for career progression. Conclusions: These findings are an open call to hospital leaders, deans of medical schools, and department chairs to increase efforts to eradicate bias against women and create safer, inclusive, and respectful environments for all psychiatrists. A special call to women psychiatrists to be aware of inner tendencies to avoid self-promotion and networking and to think positively and confidently about themselves and their abilities.