Balancing Panels: Lets Call on Women Speakers

Area of Science:

• Medical Conferences
• Gender Studies
• Academic Advancement

Background:

• Gender inequality in medical conference speaking is a significant issue, with women being vastly under-represented.
• This lack of gender diversity in leadership roles contributes to a self-perpetuating cycle of inequality in speaking opportunities.
• Breaking this cycle is essential for academic progress, as conference speaking is a key component of career advancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the under-representation of women speakers at medical conferences, despite their expertise.
• To emphasize the importance of achieving gender balance on conference panels.
• To explore strategies for enhancing the visibility of women speakers.

Main Methods:

• An extensive literature search was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and the WVU Library.
• Keywords used in the search included 'manels' (male-only panels).

Main Results:

• The study identifies a significant paucity of women speakers in medical conferences.
• The research underscores the negative impact of gender imbalance on the professional development of women in medicine.

Conclusions:

• Increased visibility of women speakers encourages female attendees and trainees to seek leadership and speaking roles.
• Achieving gender-balanced panels is a critical aspect of Diversity and Inclusion initiatives.
• Promoting women speakers motivates the broader female workforce in medicine.