VIDEO: Women, supportive allies must join forces to ‘break gender gap ceiling’ in GI
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LAS VEGAS — In a Healio exclusive, Aline Charabaty, MD, co-founder of Scrubs & Heels, emphasizes the need for women to work with allies within the field of gastroenterology to advance their careers and “break the gender gap ceiling.”
“We know that there are clear gender disparities in GI at all levels: Academic rank, leadership roles, senior authorship in published research and pay, whether it’s in academia or in private practice,” Charabaty, who also directs the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital, told Healio. “This is despite the fact that we have reached a critical mass in terms of number of women in the field of gastroenterology.”
She added: “Overall, there has been more than 30 years of opportunity to break that gender glass ceiling in GI, but yet this has not happened. Just having a critical mass of GI fellows or women entering the workforce in GI is not enough to close the gender gap. There are too many systemic and sociocultural barriers for women to overcome alone to move their career forward.”
Barriers may include microaggressions, gender bias, lack of fair and comprehensive parental leave and lack of representation in leadership roles, Charabaty said, and women in GI need “effective allies” to address these challenges.
Allyship comes in different forms and may include mentors, sponsors and professional coaches. Charabaty noted that mentors “show you the door” and provide guidance in career development, while sponsors “open the door for you and give you that opportunity that will advance your career.”
An even more effective ally opens doors that have traditionally been closed for underrepresented groups, she said, and advocates for gender equity.
Women in GI must build a network of traditional stakeholders — institutions, GI societies, male leaders and industry partners — “who recognize the many barriers that women face in their career, and then actively and intentionally promote and support women,” she said.
While it is important for women to have allies, Charabaty continued, “it is very important for us to be our own best ally, make ourselves visible, actively seek opportunities, learn how to ask and when to ask for what we want and what we need, and really invest in ourselves.”
She added: “If we truly want to break the gender gap ceiling in GI, we all need to work together as effective, intentional, supportive allies to make the field of GI the diverse, equitable, inclusive and rich space it can be and needs to be.”
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Charabaty A. Empowering women in IBD: Navigating challenges and cultivating allies. Presented at: Crohn’s & Colitis Congress; Jan. 25-27, 2024; Las Vegas.
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