A new article published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reports the results of a study of key aspects of the culture of academic medicine. The study sought to identify differences in the perceptions of the culture by male and female faculty.Results from a survey of 4,578 full-time faculty at 26 nationally representative US medical colleges (response rate 52 %) showed that faculty men and women are equally engaged in their work and share similar leadership aspirations, but that women are significantly less likely than men to experience a positive work environment. 

Compared with men, female faculty reported a lower sense of belonging within the workplace and self-efficacy for career advancement, women also perceived lower gender equity and were less likely to believe their institutions were making changes to address diversity goals. In addition, women were less likely than men to perceive their institution as family-friendly and they reported less congruence between their own values and those of their institutions. Women and men did not differ significantly on levels of engagement, leadership aspirations, feelings of ethical/moral distress, perception of institutional commitment to faculty advancement, or perception of institutional change efforts to improve support for faculty.

Read the full article.