Virginia Research Day 2021

Medical Resident Research Cl inical

09 The Current State of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in the Radiology Workplace: A Survey

Marika A. Pitot, MD a,b , Marney A. White, PhD, MS c , Elizabeth Edney, MD d , Monique A. Mogensen, MD e , Agnieszka Solberg, MD f , Taj Kattapuram, MD g , Nadja Kadom, MD h Corresponding author: marika.pitot@gmail.com

a LewisGale Hospital-Montgomery b Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education c Yale School of Public Health d University of Nebraska Medical Center e University of Washington Medical Center f University of North Dakota, 1301 N. Columbia Rd g RadKatt h Emory University Hospital

Rationale and Objectives: Our objectives were (1) to determine the extent to which gender discrimination and sexual harassment are experienced by female radiologists and trainees; (2) to examine whether experiencing harassment or discrimination influences perceptions of gender parity; and (3) to explore whether the existence of either formal institutional policies or the number of women in the workplace and/or in leadership positions influences perceptions of having achieved gender equity. Materials and Methods: An online anonymous questionnaire, developed through an Association of University Radiologist (AUR)– affiliated 2019- 2020 Task Force, was used to assess participant demographics, perceptions of gender parity, and experiences of gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

Results: A total of 375 complete responses were collected. All respondents were female with most practices consisting of fewer than 25% female radiologists. The majority of respondents reported having been a victim of sexual harassment (n=226, 60.3%) and gender discrimination (n=318, 84.8%) in the workplace. 88.5% of participants believed workplace gender parity would take longer than 10 years to achieve; 27.2% responded that it will never happen. Experiencing gender discrimination or harassment in the workplace was significantly associated with a negative outlook on achieving gender parity. Conversely, the presence and number of adequate formal institutional policies to address workplace gender equity and harassment were significantly associated with optimistic views on achieving gender parity. Higher percentages of women in one’s practice and number of women in

leadership positions were significantly associated with optimistic expectations. Conclusion: Gender discrimination and sexual harassment are common in the field of radiology and influence victims’ outlook on achieving gender parity in the workplace. Perceptions can be improved by implementing adequate institutional training policies on harassment and increasing the representation of female radiologists.

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