Review

WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING

Volume: 8 Number: 2 August 31, 2026
TR EN

WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING

Abstract

Women’s participation in medicine has increased substantially worldwide; however, this growth has not resulted in proportional representation in leadership, academic advancement, or economic equity. This narrative review examines the historical exclusion of women from institutional medicine and the persistence of structural gender inequalities in the profession. Literature published between 2000 and 2025 was identified through PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and reports from the AAMC, WHO, OECD, Eurostat, and TÜİK. A thematic synthesis was conducted focusing on leadership disparities, specialty segregation, work–life conflict, mentorship inequalities, wage gaps, and workplace harassment. Findings indicate that medicine continues to function within gendered organizational structures in which leadership and productivity are frequently defined through masculine norms. Women physicians experience persistent barriers including the “glass ceiling,” limited access to mentorship and sponsorship, discrimination in specialty selection, and the unequal burden of unpaid caregiving responsibilities. Economic disparities extend beyond salary inequities to include motherhood penalties, reduced academic visibility, and disproportionate participation in unpaid institutional labor. Women also remain more vulnerable to workplace harassment, mobbing, burnout, and attrition from academic careers. The review demonstrates that gender inequality in medicine is structurally embedded within institutional cultures and professional hierarchies rather than resulting solely from individual prejudice. Addressing these inequities requires transparent promotion systems, gender-sensitive institutional policies, mentorship and leadership programs, flexible work arrangements, and sustained organizational reform to ensure equitable and sustainable healthcare systems.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

There are no funding sources to declare.

Ethical Statement

Not available

Thanks

none

References

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  7. Carnes, M., Devine, P. G., Isaac, C., Manwell, L. B., Ford, C. E., Byars-Winston, A., Fine, E., & Sheridan, J. (2012). Promoting institutional change through bias literacy. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5(2), 63–77. https://10.1037/a0028128
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Public Health (Other)

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

August 31, 2026

Submission Date

April 3, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 20, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 2

APA
Gürcan, G., & Cihangir, B. N. (2026). WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences, 8(2), 110-120. https://doi.org/10.55895/sshs.1922427
AMA
1.Gürcan G, Cihangir BN. WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. SSHS. 2026;8(2):110-120. doi:10.55895/sshs.1922427
Chicago
Gürcan, Gamze, and Berfin Nuray Cihangir. 2026. “WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING”. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences 8 (2): 110-20. https://doi.org/10.55895/sshs.1922427.
EndNote
Gürcan G, Cihangir BN (August 1, 2026) WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences 8 2 110–120.
IEEE
[1]G. Gürcan and B. N. Cihangir, “WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING”, SSHS, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 110–120, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.55895/sshs.1922427.
ISNAD
Gürcan, Gamze - Cihangir, Berfin Nuray. “WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING”. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences 8/2 (August 1, 2026): 110-120. https://doi.org/10.55895/sshs.1922427.
JAMA
1.Gürcan G, Cihangir BN. WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. SSHS. 2026;8:110–120.
MLA
Gürcan, Gamze, and Berfin Nuray Cihangir. “WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING”. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences, vol. 8, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 110-2, doi:10.55895/sshs.1922427.
Vancouver
1.Gamze Gürcan, Berfin Nuray Cihangir. WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. SSHS. 2026 Aug. 1;8(2):110-2. doi:10.55895/sshs.1922427

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