Abstract
To The Editor,
The article “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: The Progression of Women in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery” by DeSisto et al published in Ear Nose Throat J. 2024 September 27, 2024, is strikingly stimulating. 1 Women have always been underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM), given the bias and discrimination. 2 In India, the percentage of females being admitted to medical schools has increased to 51% in recent years, yet the percentage of women surgeons is less than 1% of the total. 3 Women’s workforce contributes to 18% of leadership roles in the health sector in India. 3 Although higher than the global average of 5%, the myth that diversity does not enhance profitability continues to create challenges for female medical professionals in India. 4 The study results, where women accounted for 42% of OHNS residents and 30% of the residency program directors 1 are increasingly encouraging for the new generation of female medical students, who aspire for leadership positions, particularly in surgery. Although women in leadership positions correlated with the increase in the proportion of female faculty, 1 several other factors such as the gender chasm in hiring decisions, recognition, and career advancement also play a role. In addition to patient care and teaching, research productivity levitates women for leadership roles such as obtaining tenure as faculty and department chair positions. Compared to the prevalence of women-physician investigators in a certain specialty, there are fewer female senior authors, a trend particularly evident for journals with higher impact factors. 5 Gender inequality, beyond the walls of academic medicine, extends to the allocation of research grants, opportunities for peer review, representations on the editorial board of journals, and obtaining speaker opportunities at major conferences. 6 Recently, the mushrooming of open-access journals in academic medicine has at least leveraged, advocated, and supported gender equity in medicine and healthcare. Women’s rise to prominence and eminence in leadership roles will continue to dampen prospects until standards for collegiality, professionalism, and mutual respect, followed by equity in pay, promotions, hiring, and other opportunities, are established.
