New England Journal of Medicine Commentary - "Men's Fear of Mentoring in the Era of #MeToo: What's at stake for Academic Medicine?"
TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2018 /CNW/ - A commentary in The New England Journal of Medicine states that men in in academic medicine are using the #MeToo movement to justify avoiding mentorship of women, depriving the women of key opportunities to advance their careers.
The six authors of "Men's Fear of Mentoring in the Era of #MeToo: What's at Stake for Academic Medicine" state that there is a persistent gender gap in academic medical leadership roles. Gender parity for enrollment in US and Canadian medical schools has existed for decades, yet women account for only 16 per cent of medical school deans and 15 per cent of department chairs.
"Why are we not seeing more representation of women in leadership positions?" said lead author Dr. Sophie Soklaridis, Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). "There has to be something going on that is making academic medicine a chilling climate for women."
The authors state that when women started to outnumber men in Canadian medical schools, some leaders in the field raised concerns about the "feminization of medicine," even proposing that affirmative action initiatives for men might be required to close that gender gap in enrolment.
Of particular concern to the authors is a lack of mentoring opportunities for women in academic medicine relative to men, in part because men claim that they fear false allegations of sexual misconduct.
The authors argue that mentorship is essential for career advancement in any field, including academic medicine. Nevertheless, women report less access to mentors than their male colleagues.
"Having a mentor, someone who opens doors for you, makes all the difference in the world. Without mentors, women do not have the opportunities that their male colleagues enjoy," said author Dr. Catherine Zahn, President and CEO of CAMH. "Over and over again, I've seen women without strong mentorship choose a pathway different than that they may have preferred."
The authors make several recommendations to facilitate the type of mentorship that would help address the gender gap in academic medicine leadership roles, including:
- Establish mentorship/sponsorship programs
- Offer leadership development programs and implicit bias training
- Provide flexibility in structuring career paths for women, including promotion pathways and advancement criteria
- Support universal access to family and medical leave policies
- Create explicit, equitable and transparent departmental compensation arrangements
The other co-authors are, Deborah Gillis, President and CEO, CAMH Foundation, Dr. Valerie Taylor, Department Head of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Dr. Ayelet Kuper, Scientist and Associate Director, Wilson Centre for Research in Education, University Health Network, University of Toronto and Dr. Cynthia Whitehead, Vice President Education, Women's College Hospital
For broadcast quality video/audio clips of Dr. Soklaridis, Dr. Zahn and Gillis speaking about this commentary, click here.
SOURCE Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Media contact: Sean O'Malley, [email protected], 416-970-8243
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