Heidi Siller

How do we get gender medicine into medical education

Gender medicine, which takes a differentiated look at human beings as individuals and aims to provide targeted, gender-specific medical care, is slowly gaining recognition and acceptance. Nevertheless, this medical science that cuts across all medical disciplines has been only marginally incorporated into medical education curricula. The authors will look at the incorporation of gender medicine into the curriculum of Innsbruck Medical University to discuss the factors and the strategy that helped to establish it.

Gender differences and similarities in medical students’ experiences of mistreatment by various groups of perpetrators

BackgroundMistreatment of medical students during medical education is a widespread concern. Studies have shown that medical students report the most mistreatment compared to students of other study programs and that the prevalence of mistreatment peaks during clinical training. For this reason, a study was conducted to assess prevalence of mistreatment among medical students committed by various groups of people. The focus was to identify whether gender was associated with the experience of mistreatment. Additionally, students’ perception of university climate for reporting sexual harassment was assessed.MethodIn the study 88 medical students (45 women, 43 men) participated. A modified version of the Questionnaire on Student Abuse was used to assess students’ experience of various types of mistreatment and associated distress during medical education. To explore factors that could be associated with this experience the organizational climate for reporting sexual harassment was assessed with the Psychological Climate for Sexual Harassment.ResultThe most often cited perpetrators of mistreatment were strangers (79.5%), friends (75.0%) and university staff (68.2%). Strangers mostly committed psychological mistreatment and sexual harassment, whereas friends additionally engaged in physical mistreatment of medical students. The most common form of mistreatment conducted by university staff was humiliation of students. These kinds of psychological mistreatment were reported to be distressing (43%). Gender differences were found in the prevalence of mistreatment. Women experienced more sexual harassment and humiliation than did men. On the other hand, men experienced more physical mistreatment than did women. Women reported experiencing more distress from mistreatment experiences than did men and also more often reported being mistreated by university staff than did men. Women perceived a greater risk in reporting sexual harassment to the organization than did men.ConclusionMistreatment of female and male students should be focused on using a gender perspective because types of mistreatment can differ by gender. Additionally, interventions should include the societal level as there was a high prevalence of mistreatment perpetrated by strangers. Also the issue of trust in the university needs to be addressed and the organization is called on to visibly demonstrate that it represents and protects its students as well as its staff.

Support for Female Physicians at a University Hospital: What Do Differences Between Female and Male Physicians Tell Us?

The focus of this chapter is on the support and the challenges experienced by female physicians in the formerly male-dominated medical profession. This study was part of a project investigating physicians at university hospitals in seven European countries: 111 physicians (44 women, 67 men) from Austria participated in the study. It examined how women experience being supported by others and how these findings contribute to an understanding of support mechanisms for women. Findings show more similarities than differences between women and men. It is noteworthy that being a parent had an effect on women, but not on men, for example in terms of being less often a research leader, and feeling more supported by other health care personnel. The findings suggest that a gender segregation of women and men in private life might extend to their professional life. This raises the question what are the resources that offer the best possible support for female physicians at university hospitals.

Validation of the Internal Structure of a German-Language Version of the Gender Role Conflict Scale – Short Form

The Gender Role Conflict Scale – Short Form (GRCS-SF) assesses a person’s masculine gender role conflict. Masculine gender role conflict results when a person experiences discomfort showing a certain behavior because it is in conflict with masculine norms. The aim of the study was to test the questionnaire’s psychometric properties in an Austrian sample of older men. Three alternative structural models of the GRCS-SF were tested with confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The maximum-likelihood method and the Bollen–Stine Bootstrap Method were used to estimate the fit indices of the CFA. Convergent validity was tested by correlating the GRCS-SF with the Sexual Performance Belief Scale (SPBS). Participating in the study were 127 male in-patients of a university hospital. Men’s average age was 59.5 (SD = 14.6) years. The one-factor model did not fit the empirical data well. In contrast, both the four-factor structure model and the bifactor structure model were supported. Good internal consistencies indicated acceptable reliabilities of the questionnaire’s scales. As expected, moderate to large correlations with the SPBS were detected. These findings support the claim that the GRCS-SF is a reliable and valid tool for assessing men’s gender role conflict also in a sample of older men in Austria.

Abortion as one aspect of Women's Health

ABSTRACT Womens Health is closely tied to sexuality. In the European context the European Womens Rights Movement fought for womens sexual rights and the right of women to self-determination over a womans own body. However, there appears to still be an ongoing struggle to have such rights (e.g. abortion) reflected in legislation. In response to the article “Womens Health as an Ideological and Political Issue: Restricting the Right to Abortion, Access to In Vitro Fertilization Procedures and Prenatal Testing in Poland” (Żuk & Żuk, 2017), the potential influence of the Catholic Church on abortion legislation is discussed. In this connection Austria is used as example to illustrate differences in the influence of the Catholic Church in predominantly Catholic countries. Additional aspects of womens sexual and reproductive rights are included in this comment, such as access to contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, cost coverage and quality of health care. Given the development of the political situation in Europe, womens rights and Womens Health are in danger of becoming a victim of recent political developments. Thus, a close look at these matters is needed.

Drafting Intersections in the Career of Female Medical Doctors

Abstract The predicted doctors’ shortage in Austria and the increasing feminisation of the medical profession are aspects of a passionate debate on gender inequality in medical careers and particularly on sufficient medical care in Austria. Therefore, this review summarises main findings on gender inequality in medical careers in Austria using an intersectional lens. The intersections derived from literature elucidate that gender inequality is not predominantly dependent on having a family including children, but that various combinations of these intersections influence women’s careers. There is a need to further investigate intersections influencing medical careers in women and to relate these to affirmative action measures. Affirmative action measures need quotas and consideration of various areas besides work–family balance. There is a need to evaluate and adapt interventions to promote women in medicine according to the intersections derived from the literature.

News From the International Council on Women's Health Issues

In lieu of my standard editorial, for this issue I present instead this news update from the International Council on Women’s Health Issues, authored by Heidi Siller and Margarethe Hochleitner from the Women’s Health Centre, Medical University of Innsbruck. Please keep their comments on sex and violence in medical and health care settings in mind as you read the articles in this issue. —Eleanor Krassen Covan, PhD, Editor-in-Chief