Abstract
Introduction
Gender-based discrimination (GBD) creates a hostile environment during medical school,
affecting students' personal life and academic performance. Little is known about
how GBD affects the over 204,000 medical students in Brazil. This study aims to explore
the patterns of GBD experienced by medical students in Brazil.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study using an anonymous, Portuguese survey disseminated
in June 2021 among Brazilian medical students. The survey was composed of 24 questions
to collect data on GBD during medical school, formal methods for reporting GBD, and
possible solutions for GBD.
Results
Of 953 responses, 748 (78%) were cisgender women, 194 (20%) were cisgender men, and
11 (1%) were from gender minorities. 65% (616/942) of respondents reported experiencing
GBD during medical school. Women students experienced GBD more than men (77% versus 22%; P < 0.001). On comparing GBD perpetrator roles, both women (82%, 470/574) and men (64%,
27/42) reported the highest rate of GBD by faculty members. The occurrence of GBD
by location differed between women and men. Only 12% (115/953) of respondents reported
knowing their institution had a reporting mechanism for GBD.
Conclusions
Most respondents experienced GBD during medical school. Cisgender women experienced
GBD more than cisgender men. Perpetrators and location of GBD differed for men and
women. Finally, an alarming majority of students did not know how to formally report
GBD in their schools. It is imperative to adopt broad policy changes to diminish the
rate of GBD and its a consequential burden on medical students.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 15, 2022
Accepted:
October 16,
2022
Received in revised form:
September 19,
2022
Received:
March 10,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Corrigendum to ‘Gender-Based Discrimination Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Brazil’ J Surg Res. 2022 Nov 15;283:102-109Journal of Surgical ResearchVol. 284
- PreviewThe purpose of this corrigendum is to inform readers that a result reported in the abstract of the article was incorrect. In the abstract, the percentage of medical students who reported gender-based discrimination was incorrectly reported as 65% (616/942). The correct percentage was 66% (625/953), as was reported in the Results section of the main article. The authors apologize for any inconvenience caused.
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