Is Academic Medicine Making Mid-Career Women Physicians Invisible?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Equity
• Gender Studies in Medicine

Background:

• Women comprise over 50% of the healthcare workforce but are underrepresented in academic medicine leadership.
• Mid-career academic women physicians experience a multifactorial phenomenon leading to invisibility and potential attrition.
• Subtle disparities (micro-inequities) and observable inequities (macro-inequities) contribute to career stagnation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the phenomenon of mid-career "invisibility" among academic women physicians.
• To examine the cumulative effects of micro- and macro-inequities on women's academic careers.
• To offer suggestions for promoting equity for mid-career women in academic medicine.

Main Methods:

• Perspective piece analyzing existing evidence on gender disparities in academic medicine.
• Examination of contributing and causative processes leading to career inequity.
• Review of literature on micro- and macro-inequities affecting women physicians.

Main Results:

• Women face cumulative inequities that hinder academic portfolio development and promotion.
• Significant underrepresentation of women in senior academic leadership positions (e.g., deans, department chairs).
• Macro-inequities, such as compensation gaps, are well-documented.

Conclusions:

• Micro- and macro-inequities create barriers for women physicians in mid-career academic advancement.
• Family and lifestyle choices interact with systemic inequities, leading to disillusionment.
• Strategies are needed to promote equity and retain women in academic medicine.