LETTER
Rewarding Women in Academic Medicine
Allen B. Weisse, MD
15 April 1994 | Volume 120 Issue 8 | Pages 697-698
TO THE EDITOR:
In their comparison of the status of women and men in academic medicine, Carr and colleagues [1] might have arrived at more tangible conclusions if they had evaluated their data differently. They compared men with women whose year of graduation from medical school was, on average, 5 years later. Not surprisingly, the women had lower pay and academic rank. It would have been much more valid and informative to compare them with men of similar seniority, data that were available to the authors from their survey. Was this done? A similar correction factor should have been made for extent of training, which differed significantly.
Another factor not evaluated by the authors was the effect that maternity leave might have had in delaying the rewards of academic excellence among women, who may have had many months, if not years, subtracted from their professional lives to raise their infant children.
If men and women in academic medicine are all to be considered "apples" and not "apples and oranges" in terms of advancement, we must at least select apples of equivalent age and cultivation.
|
Author and Article Information
|
|---|
Springfield, NJ 07081
1. Carr PL, Friedman RH, Moskowitz MA, Kazis LE. Comparing the status of women and men in academic medicine. Ann Intern Med. 1993; 119:908-13.
About Letters
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
Top
Author & Article Info
REFERENCE
Article
