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How Otolaryngology Can Address the Gender Gap

by Karen Appold •

Furthermore, MCW’s AWSM recently launched a voluntary campaign called “I WILL,” aimed at raising awareness of gender equity and eliminating gender harassment. “Almost all leaders have participated in how they will support gender equity and eliminate harassment; we’ve had well over 1,000 pledges made so far,” Dr. Kerschner said.

Dr. Kerschner also instituted a “pinning” ceremony for each female faculty member who reaches the status of professor. “It demonstrates that our institution supports women in achieving the highest rank and that it is taking time to celebrate this in a very intentional manner,” he said.

An Ideal Workplace for Women

Having a baby is a life-altering experience for a woman in a variety of ways, involving both physical and biological demands. Here are four things women say would enable them to take better care of themselves and their children.

#1. Designated Paid Maternity Leave

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 requires 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually for mothers of newborn or newly adopted children if they’re employed by a company with 50 or more employees. But female physicians say that this leave should be paid, and taking it in full shouldn’t be frowned upon.

Erin O’Brien, MD, division chair of rhinology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said parents should not be penalized for having a child and dedicating time toward this endeavor. She believes that normalizing parental leave for men would reduce the stigma some women face when taking time off to care for newborns.

All institutions should have a paid maternity leave for at least 12 weeks, Dr. O’Brien said. And it should be provided even during the first year of employment; it shouldn’t be contingent on accrued sick or vacation time.

More flexibility with scheduling and academic promotion would enable women to take time off for maternity leave and childcare, without being penalized in their education and advancement. “Academic promotion calendars shouldn’t have set time periods; there is no good reason why someone can’t take longer for academic promotion if they want to spend a few years working part time,” Dr. O’Brien said.

“Institutions should budget for maternity and paternity leaves. Culturally, we should start celebrating milestones of human life such as having a baby,” said Julie Wei, MD, division chief of pediatric otolaryngology/audiology at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Fla.

#2. Onsite Daycare

Onsite daycare allows for parents, especially mothers who are breastfeeding, to have closer proximity to their children.