Despite increasing representation, five myths are still leading to discrimination against women in medicine — and across industries.
Women’s representation in medicine has slowly increased over the past few decades. However, this rise in numbers of women — gender diversity — has not been matched by a rise in gender inclusion. Despite increasing representation, women still encounter bias and discrimination when compared with men in these fields across a variety of outcomes, including treatment at school and work, hiring, compensation, evaluation and promotion.
This disconnect between diversity and inclusion is not unique to medicine. In this article we will identify five myths that perpetuate gender bias and five strategies for improving not only the number of women in medicine — and other industries — but also their lived experiences, capacity to aspire, and opportunity to succeed.