Becker's Hospital Review

50 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP #GiveHerAReasonToStay campaign takes off, calls on employers to better support women in healthcare By Hannah Mitchell W omen have been leaving the medical field during the pan- demic, and a Harvard physician launched a gender equity campaign to en- courage employers to support their female employees and bring awareness to why they are walking away from the profession. Six things to know: 1. Women make up 77 percent of patient-fac- ing healthcare employees, and a mass exodus could have a significant effect on patient care and medical research, according to a news release from the American Medical Women's Association. e "Give Her a Reason to Stay in Healthcare" campaign focuses on keeping women in medicine and ensuring patients receive the best possible care. 2. Women in healthcare are not paid or pro- moted equitably and reported high rates of sexual harassment at work, the release said. ey are also encouraged to take on extra duties and engage in unpaid work. Even with added responsibilities at work, women con- tinue to have more responsibilities at home for child care and older adults. 3. e campaign encourages healthcare exec- utives to find ways their hospitals can be part of the solution. Employers are encouraged to pay women equitably, promote women, give grants or funds to support their work, sponsor a career opportunity, offer child care and en- sure the workplace is sexual harassment-free. 4. Colleagues, patients and other supporters are invited to write a positive review online, nom- inate women for awards, invite them to co-au- thor or speak at events, cite their research and send notes of appreciation to their employers. 5. Beginning Sept. 1, supporters are also encouraged to use the hashtags #GiverHer- AReasonToStay and #WomenInMedicine on social media to spread awareness. 6. e campaign was developed by Julie Sil- ver, MD. Dr. Silver is the associate chair in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Boston-based Harvard Medical School. She is an associate professor and the director of a Harvard Medical School women's leadership course. Campaign part- ners include the American Medical Women's Association and Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine at Philadelphia-based Drexel University College of Medicine. n How men can show their female colleagues support: 4 study insights By Hannah Mitchell F or women, breaking into a male-dominated field is just part of the battle. Once they arrive, they may encounter scarcity in mentorship and "office house- keeper" or "mother figure" stereotypes, according to an Aug. 11 Market Watch report. Researchers from the University of Kansas in Lawrence launched three experiments involving more than 1,000 participants in total. Participants worked in science, tech- nology, engineering and mathematics fields — where women make up only a small fraction of employees, ac- cording to an Aug. 9 peer-reviewed report published in Social Psychological and Personality Science. The study's participants were asked to imagine receiving a job offer at a company. Then they were asked to view a random slideshow of their future co-workers. In some slides, the co-workers were either all-male or were gen- der-balanced. Some participants were also paired with an "ally" scenario, where a male co-worker expressed support for gender equality. Four study insights: 1. Research has demonstrated that men can show support to their female co-workers by using their voices. The pres- ence of a supportive male ally decreases women's per- ceived workplace hostility and isolation. It also boosts how women anticipate respect, support and gender equity in their organization, the study found. 2. "Allyship from men increases women's sense of belong- ing in male-dominated fields," said Charlotte Moser, a PhD student at the university and the study's lead author. "Say- ing something like, 'I really care about gender equality and make it a priority to ensure that everyone is treated equally,'" is effective, Ms. Moser said. Men can also show allyship by bringing attention to female co-workers' contri- butions by saying something like, "I think what X said was a great idea and we should look into that." 3. The study found no differences in Black or white wom- en's responses to allyship from either a Black or white man, Ms. Moser said. The presence of a male ally led women to anticipate more support and respect at the organization and decreased their anticipation of workplace hostility or isolation. 4. Previous research has demonstrated allyship can be ef- fective through confronting sexism, but the study demon- strates that men do not have to wait for something "overtly sexist to happen to be an effective ally," Ms. Moser said. It can also change gender equity norms at the company. n

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