The status of women at one academic medical center. Breaking through the glass ceiling

K. G. Nickerson, N. M. Bennett, D. Estes and S. Shea
Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY.

Despite recent gains in admission to medical school and in obtaining junior faculty positions, women remain underrepresented at senior academic ranks and in leadership positions in medicine. This discrepancy has been interpreted as evidence of a "glass ceiling" that prevents all but a few exceptional women from gaining access to leadership positions. We analyzed data from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY, for all faculty hired from 1969 through 1988 and found that the likelihood of promotion on the tenure track was 0.40 for women and 0.48 for men (ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.56 to 1.20); on the clinical track the likelihood of promotion was 0.75 for women and 0.72 for men (ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.56 to 1.94). Additional analysis of current faculty showed that in the academic year 1988-1989 the proportion of women at each tenure track rank at the College of Physicians & Surgeons equaled or exceeded the national proportion of women graduating from medical school, once allowance was made for the average time lag necessary to attain each rank. On the clinical track women were somewhat overrepresented, particularly at the junior rank. National data that describe medical school faculty, which combine tenure and clinical tracks, showed that in 1988 women were proportionately represented at each rank once the lead time from graduation was considered. We conclude that objective evidence shows that women can succeed and are succeeding in gaining promotions in academic medicine.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Compensation and Advancement of Women in Academic Medicine: Is There Equity?
Ash et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2004;141:205-212.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Perceived Obstacles to Career Success for Women in Academic Surgery
Colletti et al.
Arch Surg 2000;135:972-977.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Salary Equity among Male and Female Internists in Pennsylvania
Ness et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2000;133:104-110.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Women Physicians in Academic Medicine -- New Insights from Cohort Studies
Nonnemaker
NEJM 2000;342:399-405.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Women in hospital medicine in the United Kingdom: glass ceiling, preference, prejudice or cohort effect?
McManus and Sproston
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2000;54:10-16.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sex Differences in Academic Advancement -- Results of a National Study of Pediatricians
Kaplan et al.
NEJM 1996;335:1282-1290.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Gender Comparisons Prior to, during, and after Medical School Using Two Decades of Longitudinal Data at Jefferson Medical College
Hojat et al.
Eval Health Prof 1994;17:290-306.
ABSTRACT  

Professional Advancement of Social Scientists within Schools of Medicine
Stanton and Berman
Med Care Res Rev 1993;50:259-270.