Gender Related Career Aspects in Pediatric Cardiology

Background: In Germany 70% of medical students are female. This predominance stops abruptly at senior clinical positions, even in typical “female favored” specialties like pediatric cardiology. We analyzed gender disparities in leadership positions, potential structural biases and attitudes in the current structure of pediatric cardiology in DACH.

Methods: A total of 624 pediatric cardiologists were contacted in our cross-sectional study, 281 (45%) participated in the web-based questionnaire, categorized in eight dimensions (i.e., career plans, discrimination etc.).

Results: In total, 77.9% of male respondents were content with their job (satisfaction level 4 out of 6 or higher); chief physicians showed the highest level. 61% of female doctors showed this level of job satisfaction. In addition, 49.7% of women worked full-time (84.8% of men), while more than 20% of all doctors working full-time planned to reduce working hours. Only 0.9% of women named chief physician as their career goal, while 13.9% of males did. This correlates with the almost 50% female pediatric cardiologists claiming they felt personally inadequate to fulfill this role (male 26.5%). Female personal discrimination (59.1%.) was primarily gender-based (74.1%) and motherhood-related (49.4%). 68.9% of male doctors witnessed discrimination of colleagues (chief physicians only 36.4%). Shortage of female leadership was explained by both genders with prioritizing family (f: 82.5%/m: 68.6%), followed by part-time work (f: 58.5%/m: 72.2%) and parental leave (f: 65.1%/m: 41.5%). Male chief physicians showed a tendency to deny negative statements regarding gender disparities (i.e., male favoritism), especially in comparison to residents. Male and female doctors highlighted gender disparities in training rotations: participants considered that males received more catheter training (f: 43.1%/m: 19.5%), whereas women acted preferably in noninvasive and communicative roles i.e., outpatient services (f: 22.2%/m: 12.5%). The concept of sharing leadership positions was supported by 66.7% female and 51.7% male respondents for all hierarchy levels.

Conclusion: The survey highlights potential causes for the gender gap in pediatric cardiology leadership, including family-related factors and discrimination. Female discrimination seems a relevant problem rarely noticed by (male) leaders. New professional structures, like job-sharing, may be used for the development of gender-neutral career tools and increase the attractiveness and flexibility of leading positions in pediatric cardiology.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
13. Februar 2024