Science Has a Gender Problem

Impact of gender inequality on the educational and career development of young epileptologists in Italy: A survey of the Young Epilepsy Section - Italian chapter

OBJECTIVE

The Young Epilepsy Section-Italian chapter (YES-I) is the Italian section of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)-YES. It was founded in 2019 with the aim of increasing the involvement of young epileptologists within scientific associations and facilitating their educational training. The Education and Career Task Force designed a survey on the impact of gender inequality on the educational and professional growth of young epileptologists.

METHODS

The survey was proposed via QR code during the 43rd National Congress of the Italian League Against Epilepsy (Padua, 8-10 June 2022), and subsequently distributed via email until 7th September 2022.

RESULTS

Of the respondents, 73.6% were female. Of note, 51% of the entire sample answered that they found "no impact" of gender on educational activities (64.3% male against 46.1% female). Only 10% of women stated they have seen very much gender-related inequality in their education or career. However, the majority of our cohort (66%) thought that gender had a negative impact on progression within a scientific society, as well as in female leadership roles in clinical practice (67.9%). Furthermore female medical staff received little work recognition (56.6%). Lastly, 83% of responders did not have children, and only 37.7% declared their colleagues to be empathic in relation to absences for family emergencies.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of awareness of the gender inequality issue might explain inconsistencies in the findings of our survey. Despite the remarkable progress of women rights over the last century, our survey suggests that disparities in academic and decision-making roles exist also in the epileptology field.

Making the case for workforce diversity in biomedical informatics to help achieve equity-centered care: a look at the AMIA First Look Program

Developing a diverse informatics workforce broadens the research agenda and ensures the growth of innovative solutions that enable equity-centered care. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) established the AMIA First Look Program in 2017 to address workforce disparities among women, including those from marginalized communities. The program exposes women to informatics, furnishes mentors, and provides career resources. In 4 years, the program has introduced 87 undergraduate women, 41% members of marginalized communities, to informatics. Participants from the 2019 and 2020 cohorts reported interest in pursuing a career in informatics increased from 57% to 86% after participation, and 86% of both years' attendees responded that they would recommend the program to others. A June 2021 LinkedIn profile review found 50% of participants working in computer science or informatics, 4% pursuing informatics graduate degrees, and 32% having completed informatics internships, suggesting AMIA First Look has the potential to increase informatics diversity.