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. 2022 Jan 7;2(2):89-91.
doi: 10.1016/j.jointm.2021.12.002. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Female representation in intensive care medicine: Challenges and perspectives from China

Xuelian Liao  1   2 , Yi Yang  3 , Rubulotta Francesca  4 , Yan Kang  1   2 , Jordi Rello  5
Affiliations

Female representation in intensive care medicine: Challenges and perspectives from China

Xuelian Liao et al. J Intensive Med. .

Abstract

The gender gap in the practice of intensive care medicine has increasingly been recognized as a problem in recent years. Despite limited information, the available data suggest that representation of women in the physician workforce, academic positions, and leadership roles in intensive care is inadequate globally. In this article, we describe the situation of female intensive care unit (ICU) physicians from the perspective of Chinese intensivists. The proportion of female ICU physicians in China has been increasing in recent years. The biggest challenges faced by female ICU physicians include balance of work and life, difficulties in career planning, and lack of academic influence. More attention and policy support should be provided to help them play a better role in intensive care medicine.

Keywords: Critical care; Female; Gender gap.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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