Two senior female gastroenterologists discuss persistent gender disparities in GI, including underrepresentation in leadership (20% female professors cited) and pay gaps, and advocate for mentorship, quotas, and female empowerment to accelerate change.
- Both speakers report that gender discrimination persists in gastroenterology, with women comprising only 20% of professors at one Dutch university and facing pay inequities in some US centres.
- The guests argue that female trainees often require more encouragement and struggle with perfectionism, while male trainees show greater confidence even with lower performance scores, necessitating tailored educational approaches.
- The speakers support temporary positive discrimination measures such as requiring at least one-third female representation on committees, noting that voluntary change has been too slow despite capable women being available.
- Female-specific mentorship programs and professional networks, including an all-women faculty meeting in 2023, are described as essential for building confidence, providing role models, and sustaining career advancement.
- Advice offered includes staying true to personal values, seeking peer reflection, reframing perfectionism, and daily acknowledgment of accomplishments to maintain confidence in a historically male-dominated field.
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