This module is intended to increase awareness of persistent gender inequities in medicine and their impact on professional experiences, career advancement, compensation, and well‑being. Gender inequities are often embedded in workplace culture, evaluation practices, policies, and institutional structures rather than driven by individual behavior alone. This module aims to equip participants with the knowledge and tools needed to recognize inequities, interrupt bias, and advocate for meaningful, sustainable change within medical training programs, healthcare systems, and academic institutions.
Key Goals
Increase awareness among physicians and healthcare leaders of the prevalence and impact of gender inequities across clinical, academic, and leadership settings.
Examine how gender bias manifests through language, evaluation practices, compensation structures, and organizational culture.
Develop practical, evidence‑based strategies to promote gender equity, accountability, and inclusion at individual, team, and institutional levels.
Recognize and interrupt gender‑biased language, behaviors, and evaluation practices in clinical, academic, and leadership settings.
Identify key drivers of the gender pay gap in medicine and apply strategies that promote transparent and equitable compensation.
Examine structural and cultural barriers to retention, promotion, and leadership advancement for women physicians, and identify strategies to support equitable career progression.
The following resources serve as the core materials for this module, ranging from scoping reviews to practical management guides:
Objective 1: How Gender Shapes Who Gets Assessed and How
Objective 2: The Pay Gap by the Numbers — What Women in Medicine Are Still Losing
Objective 3: Structural Barriers to Women's Advancement in Academic Medicine
Designed for personal journaling or pre-meeting preparation.
Decoding Biased Feedback
Designed for RAFT meetings, subdivided by module objectives.
General Discussion Questions:
How do you respond when colleagues suggest that gender equity is no longer a pressing issue — for example, "Med school classes are now 50% women, so the problem is solved"?
Have you ever received feedback you later recognized as gender‑biased — about your confidence, communication style, or likability? How did you process it, and what would you have wanted instead?
How transparent is compensation in your practice or institution? What would it take to create more pay equity where you work, and what role could you play?
What gender equity initiatives exist in your institution? What would you want to start or strengthen?
Objective-Specific Discussion Questions
Objective 1: How Gender Shapes Who Gets Assessed and How
Objective 2: The Pay Gap by the Numbers — What Women in Medicine Are Still Losing
Objective 3: Structural Barriers to Women's Advancement in Academic Medicine