Female Faculty Representation in Anesthesiology: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anesthesiology
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Female faculty are crucial for diversity and gender equity in medical education.
• Understanding factors influencing female faculty representation in anesthesia is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between the percentage of female faculty in anesthesia residency programs and program type.
• To determine if geographical location impacts the proportion of female faculty in these programs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional analysis using data from the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) system.
• Programs were categorized by type (university-based, community-based/university-affiliated, community-based) and geographical region (Association of American Medical College divisions).
• Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare female faculty percentages across different program types and regions.

Main Results:

• Data from 89 anesthesia residency programs were analyzed.
• The average percentage of female faculty was 34%, with a range of 14% to 59%.
• No statistically significant differences in female faculty percentages were found based on program type or geographical location (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The proportion of female faculty in anesthesia residency programs is consistent irrespective of program type or geographical location.
• These findings contribute to understanding gender dynamics in anesthesia faculties.
• Further research is needed to identify other factors affecting gender representation in medical education.