Thread by @arghavan_salles

This is a short thread on an important paper that came out in @bmj_latest related to discrimination against mothers. Lots of good data so please read the paper. I'll highlight some major points here.

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bmj.com/content/bmj/36…

Based on responses to an open-ended question, the team analyzed the challenges faced by physician mothers:

-not being supported during pregnancy/maternity leave
-having maternity leave called "vacation"
-being "punished" for pregnancy, maternity leave, and/or lactation

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Perceptions of others:

-"that mothers cannot be successful doctors"
-"that doctors cannot be good mothers"
-"that women physicians should delay childbearing"
-"that childbearing necessarily ruins women physicians' careers"
-"physician mothers do not value their careers"

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Maternal and gender discrimination resulted in:
-impact on "healthcare quality due to orders being ignored"
-"putting patient safety at risk"
-exclusion "from leadership and other opportunities to be involved in decision making"
-"being passed over for...leadership positions"

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"Our findings suggest insidious, persistent, and sometimes blatant discrimination experienced by physicians, based on their status as mothers."

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"'work preferences' and 'life values' may...be shaped by limitations of the specific work environment mothers face...what seems to be a career 'choice' may actually stem from the internalized preclusion of other options and interests."

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Overall the data suggest significant challenges for women physicians who become mothers, including unrealistic expectations from colleagues and an unwillingness to accommodate the needs of mothers and their children.

Pls share with your chiefs, chairs, and deans. #timesup

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