A trend, analysis, and solution on women's representation in diagnostic radiology in North America: a narrative review

Despite the demonstrated benefits of gender diversity in medicine, women in Radiology in North America are still underrepresented. We reviewed the literature to highlight the current status of women in Radiology in North America, identify the underlying causes of the gender gap, and provide potentia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical imaging 2024-05, Vol.109, p.110135-110135, Article 110135
Main Authors: Khounsarian, Fatemeh, Abu-Omar, Ahmad, Emara, Aida, Marinescu, Daniel, Yong-Hing, Charlotte J., Ali, Ismail Tawakol, Khosa, Faisal
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bibliometrics
Female
Gender gap
Humans
Leadership
North America - epidemiology
Pandemics
Radiology
Women
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Summary:Despite the demonstrated benefits of gender diversity in medicine, women in Radiology in North America are still underrepresented. We reviewed the literature to highlight the current status of women in Radiology in North America, identify the underlying causes of the gender gap, and provide potential strategies to close this gap. We conducted a narrative literature review using the terms (“Gender Disparity” OR “Gender Inequality”) AND (“Radiology Department” OR “Radiology Residency”), searching data from April 2000 to April 2022 in Ovid Medline, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. Our results indicate that Radiology in North America lacks gender diversity in its subspecialties, academic leadership, and research productivity, which the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated. Challenges stemming from a dearth of women role models, limited preclinical contact, and a high rate of burnout contribute to the current gender inequality. Several complementary and supplementary steps can enhance gender diversity in Radiology. These include increasing education and exposure to Radiology at earlier stages and optimizing mentorship opportunities to attract a more diverse pool of talent to the discipline. In addition, supporting resident parents and enhancing the residency program's culture can decrease the rate of burnout and encourage women to pursue careers and leadership positions in Radiology. •Women are underrepresented in Radiology subspecialties and academia despite comprising 50% of medical graduates in North America.•Factors leading to gender gap in Radiology include lack of mentors, limited preclinical exposure, fear of AI, and high burnout rate.•Optimizing program's culture and developing preclinical exposure and mentorship opportunities can improve gender diversity in Radiology
ISSN:0899-7071
1873-4499
DOI:10.1016/j.clinimag.2024.110135