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Review
. 2012 Nov;87(11):1622-31.
doi: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e31826dbfd1.

A culture conducive to women's academic success: development of a measure

Alyssa Friede Westring  1 , Rebecca M Speck, Mary Dupuis Sammel, Patricia Scott, Lucy Wolf Tuton, Jeane Ann Grisso, Stephanie Abbuhl
Affiliations
Review

A culture conducive to women's academic success: development of a measure

Alyssa Friede Westring et al. Acad Med. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: The work environment culture inhibits women's career success in academic medicine. The lack of clarity and consistency in the definition, measurement, and analysis of culture constrains current research on the topic. The authors addressed this gap by defining the construct of a culture conducive to women's academic success (CCWAS) and creating a measure (i.e., tool) to evaluate it.

Method: First, the authors conducted a review of published literature, held focus groups, and consulted with subject matter experts to develop a measure of academic workplace culture for women. Then they developed and pilot-tested the measure with a convenience sample of women assistant professors. After refining the measure, they administered it, along with additional scales for validation, to 133 women assistant professors at the University of Pennsylvania. Finally, they conducted statistical analyses to explore the measure's nature and validity.

Results: A CCWAS consists of four distinct, but related, dimensions: equal access, work-life balance, freedom from gender biases, and supportive leadership. The authors found evidence that women within departments/divisions agree on the supportiveness of their units but that substantial differences among units exist. The analyses provided strong evidence for the reliability and validity of their measure.

Conclusions: This report contributes to a growing understanding of women's academic medicine careers and provides a measure that researchers can use to assess the supportiveness of the culture for women assistant professors and that leaders can use to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase the supportiveness of the environment for women faculty.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Standardized regression weights for higher-order factor loadings in confirmatory factor analysis of a new measure to evaluate cultural factors in the workplace that are conducive to the academic success of women, 2010 (P < .001 for all; χ2 = 85.295, P = .022, df = 61. Manifest variables and error terms not pictured).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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