Predicting When Women Will Achieve Equitable Representation in Four Specialties: The WHEN Study

Area of Science:

• Medical education
• Academic medicine
• Gender equity

Background:

• Women constitute nearly 50% of medical school graduates but face persistent promotion disparities.
• Academic career progression for women in medicine remains inequitable over two decades.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare historical trends in academic career pipelines by sex across four medical specialties.
• To analyze sex-based disparities in faculty representation and promotion.

Main Methods:

• Examined faculty sex and rank data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) database.
• Analyzed data for oncology, gastroenterology, cardiovascular medicine, and general surgery in 2000 and 2020.

Main Results:

• In 2000, women's faculty representation was lowest in general surgery (15%) and gastroenterology/cardiovascular medicine (17%), compared to oncology (26%).
• Cardiovascular medicine and general surgery showed slower growth in women's representation over 20 years compared to oncology and gastroenterology.
• Projected sex parity: Oncology (2024), Gastroenterology (2029), General Surgery (2054), Cardiovascular Medicine (2070).

Conclusions:

• Oncology and gastroenterology demonstrate greater gains in women's representation and promotion to Professor rank.
• Significant disparities persist, particularly in cardiovascular medicine and general surgery.
• Lessons from specialties with higher promotion rates for women can inform strategies for achieving gender equity in academic medicine.