Unconscious gender bias and imposter syndrome hinder female ophthalmologists’ development and career advancement, said Tanya Trinh, MBBS, at Friday’s Retina Subspecialty Day.
Women are not thought of as ophthalmic surgeons. Dr. Trinh opened her talk by recounting an incident from her first attending week. Her surgical patient, a retired radiologist, asked her if the surgeon was experienced and then, mid-procedure, expressed surprise that a woman was performing surgery on him. Meanwhile, the female surgical nurse had assumed that Dr. Trinh was a medical student.
Definitions of unconscious bias and imposter syndrome. Unconscious gender bias, a generalized preconception of male and female attributes, silently erodes the confidence of and opportunities for women, noted Dr. Trinh. Such erosion of confidence can lead to imposter syndrome, a condition that includes pathologic feelings of inadequacy and fear of being exposed as a fraud, no matter how qualified or experienced the person is.
Women are particularly predisposed to developing imposter syndrome because of societal expectations and inherent gender bias. To compensate for self-doubt, they may adopt unhealthy patterns of behavior, such as being an extreme perfectionist or attempting to be a “superwoman.”
Working harder to catch up to men. Burnout is also endemic to female ophthalmologists and often manifests as procrastination, overpreparation, and detachment from colleagues. This is costly for both the physicians and their workplaces.
A recently published study found that female ophthalmology trainees in Australia and New Zealand had 21% less total surgical volume and 42% less cataract surgery volume after four years than male trainees.1 Women in ophthalmology are also more likely to experience workplace bullying and pay discrepancies.
Future ways forward. Dr. Trinh ended her talk by saying that unconscious bias affects not only women, and it should not just be their problem to solve. Ways to combat gender bias in ophthalmology include:
- Thinking of the usual suspects for leadership positions, then going beyond that group and expanding the pool of candidates to reflect greater diversity of gender and race/ethnicity
- Recruiting allies, particularly male ophthalmologists
If these and other actions are not taken, “we lose an enormous opportunity for us to work together for the benefit of humankind,” said Dr. Trinh.
—Stephanie Leveene, ELS
1 Gill HK et al. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021:49(7):664-671.
Financial disclosures: Dr. Trinh: None
Disclosure key: C = Consultant/Advisor; E = Employee; EE = Employee, executive role; EO = Owner of company; I = Independent contractor; L = Lecture fees/Speakers bureau; P = Patents/Royalty; PS = Equity/Stock holder, private corporation; S = Grant support; SO = Stock options, public or private corporation; US = Equity/Stock holder, public corporation For definitions of each category, see aao.org/eyenet/disclosures.
Read more news about Subspecialty Day and AAO 2022.