Silent Bias: Challenges, Obstacles, and Strategies for Leadership Development in Academic Medicine-Lessons From Oral Histories of Women Professors at the University of Kansas
| Autor: | Tacey A. Rosolowski, Mary K. Zimmerman, Emily Jones, Susan K. Pingleton |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Gerontology
Faculty Medical 020205 medical informatics Interview Universities media_common.quotation_subject education Sexism 02 engineering and technology Education 03 medical and health sciences Physicians Women 0302 clinical medicine 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Medicine Humans 030212 general & internal medicine Academic medicine Qualitative Research Schools Medical media_common Medical education Leadership development business.industry General Medicine Kansas Femininity Career Mobility Leadership Oral history Meritocracy Female business Diversity (business) Qualitative research |
| Zdroj: | Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 91(8) |
| ISSN: | 1938-808X |
| Popis: | PURPOSE Despite dramatic increases in female learners and junior faculty, a significant gap remains in female leadership in academic medicine. To assess challenges and obstacles encountered, strategies for academic success, and lessons learned for leadership development, the authors conducted an in-depth study of women full professors. METHOD The authors used a qualitative oral history approach, interviewing 87% of the cohort of female full professors at one Midwestern medical school in 2013 using a pretested, open-ended, semistructured interview guide. Interviews were videotaped and the audio recordings transcribed. Content was sorted into categories and key themes identified within each category. RESULTS Participants described significant challenges: being treated with "silent bias," "being ignored," and being seen as an "other." Coping strategies included downplaying, keeping a distance, employing humor, and using symbols (e.g., white coat) to carefully present themselves. Explanations for success included intelligence, meritocracy, being even-tempered, and carefully constructing femininity. The participants recommended individual skills and actions to prepare for leadership development. Virtually all women could describe an individual mentor (sponsor), usually male, who provided essential assistance for their career success. At the same time, they stressed the importance of institutional support for diversity, especially with child care. CONCLUSIONS Attaining "full professor" status is the pinnacle of academic success. Women who successfully navigated this academic ladder describe significant external and internal challenges that require multiple strategies to overcome. Leadership development entails a combination of individual support through mentors and sponsors, self-education and reflection, and organizational structural support to promote diversity. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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