The Glass Ceiling in Obstetrics and Gynecology: Breakable but Still a Barrier

Despite progress in the gender diversity of the academic physician workforce, a disproportionately low number of female physicians achieve academic advancement and serve in leadership positions [ 1 Association of American Medical Colleges. Gender equity in academic medicine. Available at: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/gender-equity-academic-medicine. Accessed July 10, 2022. Google Scholar ]. The modest gains in gender parity in academic promotion and leadership over the past 2 decades are particularly notable for women of color and other under-represented minorities. The Association of American Medical Colleges reported in 2018 that although the number of female department chairs and deans has risen, only 18% of those leadership positions are occupied by women—a change of just 5% and 6%, respectively, from 10 years earlier [ 1 Association of American Medical Colleges. Gender equity in academic medicine. Available at: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/gender-equity-academic-medicine. Accessed July 10, 2022. Google Scholar ]. The fact that women comprise 41% of academic faculty but occupy <20% of the top leadership positions calls for attention to this gap. Gender disparities in the academic medical workforce may be even more apparent in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) [ 2 Das D Geynisman-Tan J Mueller M Kenton K The leadership landscape: the role of gender in current leadership positions in obstetrics and gynecology departments. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2022; 29: 952-960 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar ]. Despite the high representation of women in OB/GYN (e.g., 80% of OB/GYN residents and 57% of academic OB/GYN faculty identified as female in 2018), there is no question that women continue to be under-represented in academic and administrative leadership positions [ 2 Das D Geynisman-Tan J Mueller M Kenton K The leadership landscape: the role of gender in current leadership positions in obstetrics and gynecology departments. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2022; 29: 952-960 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar ]. The Leadership Landscape: The Role of Gender in Current Leadership Positions in Obstetrics and Gynecology DepartmentsJournal of Minimally Invasive GynecologyVol. 29Issue 8PreviewTo describe the proportion of female faculty in departmental administrative and educational leadership roles in Obstetrics and Gynecology departments. Full-Text PDF