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WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING

Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2 31 Ağustos 2026
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WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Destekleyen Kurum

There are no funding sources to declare.

Etik Beyan

Not available

Teşekkür

none

Kaynakça

  1. Abid, A. M. (2014, October 22). Female doctors becoming 'trophy' wives: Is quota the right move? Dawn. (cited: 2026, April 6) Retrieved from: https://www.dawn.com/news/1139639
  2. Acker, J. (1990). Hierarchies, jobs, bodies: A theory of gendered organizations. Gender & Society, 4(2), 139-158. https://10.1177/089124390004002002
  3. Association of American Medical Colleges. (2024). The state of women in academic medicine: 2023–2024. AAMC. (cited: 2026, April 6) Retrieved from: https://www.aamc.org/data-reports
  4. Bedoya-Vaca, R., Derose, K. P., & Romero-Sandoval, N. (2016). Gender and physician specialization and practice settings in Ecuador: A qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 16(1), 662. https://10.1186/s12913-016-1917-1
  5. Bleakley, A. (2013). Gender matters in medical education. Medical Education, 47(1), 59–70. https://10.1111/j.1365-2923.2012. 04351.x
  6. Carnes, M., Devine, P. G., Baier Manwell, L., Byars-Winston, A., Fine, E., Ford, C. E., et al. (2015). The effect of an intervention to break the gender bias habit for faculty at one institution: A cluster randomized, controlled trial. Academic Medicine, 90(2), 221–230. https://10.1097/ACM.0000000000000552
  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
  8. Carnes, M., Morrissey, C., & Geller, S. E. (2008). Women's health and women's leadership in academic medicine: hitting the same glass ceiling?. Journal of women's health (2002), 17(9), 1453–1462. https://10.1089/jwh.2007.0688

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Halk Sağlığı (Diğer)

Bölüm

Derleme

Yayımlanma Tarihi

31 Ağustos 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

3 Nisan 2026

Kabul Tarihi

20 Temmuz 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Cilt: 8 Sayı: 2

Kaynak Göster

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. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences. 2026;8(2):110-120. doi:10.55895/sshs.1922427
Chicago
Gürcan, Gamze, ve 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 (01 Ağustos 2026) WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences 8 2 110–120.
IEEE
[1]G. Gürcan ve B. N. Cihangir, “WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING”, Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences, c. 8, sy 2, ss. 110–120, Ağu. 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 (01 Ağustos 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. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences. 2026;8:110–120.
MLA
Gürcan, Gamze, ve Berfin Nuray Cihangir. “WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING”. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences, c. 8, sy 2, Ağustos 2026, ss. 110-2, doi:10.55895/sshs.1922427.
Vancouver
1.Gamze Gürcan, Berfin Nuray Cihangir. WOMEN IN MEDICINE: STRUCTURAL GENDER INEQUALITIES AND THE GLASS CEILING. Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin Health Sciences. 01 Ağustos 2026;8(2):110-2. doi:10.55895/sshs.1922427

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