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Review
. 2021 Jul;23(4):455-459.
doi: 10.1007/s43678-021-00114-x. Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Towards gender equity in emergency medicine: a position statement from the CAEP Women in Emergency Medicine committee

Gillian Sheppard  1 , Chau Pham  2 , Anna Nowacki  3 , Taylor Bischoff  4 , Carolyn Snider  3
Affiliations
Review

Towards gender equity in emergency medicine: a position statement from the CAEP Women in Emergency Medicine committee

Gillian Sheppard et al. CJEM. 2021 Jul.

Abstract
in English, German

As of January 2019, over half of all doctors working in Canada under the age of 40 were women. Despite equal representation in the profession of medicine, women still experience harassment, discrimination, and pay inequity when compared to their male colleagues. Gender discrimination is present at all levels of medical training and negatively impacts women who want to become emergency physicians. The right to gender equity is part of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The World Health Organization states that "gender inequities are socially generated and, therefore, can be changed." CAEP recognizes that gender equity is important to its members and that it intersects with inequities experienced by other minority groups. This position statement from the committee for Women in Emergency Medicine (EM) is intended to support women and those who identify as women who have chosen EM as their career. Furthermore, it is meant to inform and support policy makers as they consider the unique challenges that women face in their pursuit of excellence in EM.

RéSUMé: En janvier 2019, plus de la moitié des médecins de moins de 40 ans travaillant au Canada étaient des femmes. Malgré une représentation égale dans la profession médicale, les femmes sont toujours victimes de harcèlement, de discrimination et d'inégalités salariales par rapport à leurs collègues masculins. La discrimination sexuelle est présente à tous les niveaux de la formation médicale et a un impact négatif sur les femmes qui veulent devenir médecins urgentistes. Le droit à l'égalité des sexes fait partie de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés. L'Organisation mondiale de la santé affirme que "les inégalités entre les sexes sont générées par la société et peuvent donc être modifiées". L'ACMU reconnaît que l'égalité des sexes est importante pour ses membres et qu'elle recoupe les inégalités vécues par d'autres groupes minoritaires. Cette déclaration de position du comité pour les femmes en médecine d'urgence (MU) est destinée à soutenir les femmes et ceux qui s'identifient comme femmes ayant choisi l'EM comme carrière. En outre, elle est destinée à informer et à soutenir les décideurs politiques dans leur réflexion sur les défis uniques auxquels les femmes sont confrontées dans leur quête d'excellence en matière de médecine d'urgence.

Keywords: Discrimination; Emergency medicine; Gender equity; Gender pay gap.

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References

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    1. Charter of Rights and Freedoms 1982 s15(1).
    1. World Health Organization. Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through actions on social determinants of health. [internet] Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69832/WHO_IER_CSDH_08.1... . Accessed 25 Sept 2020.
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