Men’s Fear of Mentoring in the #MeToo Era — What’s at Stake for Academic Medicine?
Women in medicine experience sexual harassment and discrimination, with some men fearing mentorship due to potential false allegations. This deprives women of career opportunities and perpetuates gender inequality. To address this, self-reflection and support are needed to create an inclusive environment and promote women's career advancement in medicine.
Who does she think she is? Women, leadership and the ‘B’(ias) word
Women's leadership efficacy parallels that of males, but they face a double bind: adhering to gender expectations can impede leadership, and vice versa. Gender disparities are exacerbated by implicit prejudice, societal norms, and unequal expectations. These discrepancies are caused by social and organizational factors rather than talent. Practical ideas are aimed at increasing women's leadership representation.
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In retrospect, Dr. Dennis, who had a fulfilling career, regrets not addressing gender imbalances and their own privilege as a male earlier. They eventually engaged in mentorship and allyship with women, finding it rewarding. They now take satisfaction in women's success but wish they had supported gender diversity earlier in their career.
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Talk to your peers and colleagues about sexual harassment and assault and erode the status that some serial harassers continue to enjoy. Do not collaborate with them. Do not invite them to meetings, to seminars. Do not invite them to be a PI on a training grant or to participate in a graduate program.
How to be an active bystander
This guide was created to assist organizations in implementing bystander actions as part of their efforts to prevent sexist and sexually harassing behaviors. It defines bystander action and describes four important stages for establishing successful bystander programs.
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As a man who is relatively early in my career I have encountered many scnearios where I see a more senior man in a position of power actively excluding a younger woman from contributing, or worse. It has been a continuous test of my own character to determine when and how to intervene, and I haven't always been happy with my own actions. I'm sure if you're reading this you can relate!
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In a study focused on engaging men in gender-equity initiatives, 74% of male senior business managers cited fear as a barrier to men's support for gender equity.
Toward a Conceptualization of Mentoring
“Sponsoring involves being a kind of guarantor. Sponsoring within the context of mentoring involves three essential behaviors: protecting, supporting, and promoting”.
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Men should reach out to women interested in leadership roles, encourage them to apply and offer to serve them as their ally.
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This method consists of pushing people ahead of you and pulling people behind you.
Mentoring for Social Inclusion: A Critical Approach to Nurturing Mentor Relationships
Helen Colley's book expands on the concept that mentorship has the ability to perpetuate inequality and that mentors should be aware of their impact within and beyond the mentorship relationship.
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Bill Tholl, the founding executive director of the Canadian Health Leadership network, affirms that It is necessary but not sufficient to mentor those that are behind you but also sponsor them. The distinction there is not just to point to doors, but to actually help doors open.
The missing voice of women in COVID-19 policy-making
The article highlights the underrepresentation of women in decision-making roles in Canada amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Women, especially working mothers, bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities and are affected by job loss. Their voices are essential to advocate for investing in care infrastructure, which is crucial for economic recovery.
In health care, do the people in power reflect the people they serve?
Despite initiatives to promote diversity on Ontario healthcare boards, visible minorities account for just 22% of LHIN boards and 14% of hospital boards. Prioritizing professional backgrounds, time restraints, and fundraising duties are all obstacles. Camille Orridge emphasizes the need of taking a comprehensive strategy to ensuring that community perspectives are heard.
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On the occasion f International Women's Day, Melanie Bechard posted on X that while it is good that men acknowledge their female partners' professional sacrifices, it is better that men structure their lives so that their female partners do not have to sacrifice their career goals.
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The author shared on X on the occasion of International Women's Day his feminist father strategy which consist of declining mos speaking invitations because more academic work for him leads to more mom-work for his partner and less father-time with his baby.
That’s all-white then – an all-white panel on ‘minorities and justice'
The author describes her experience as a white speaker on an all-white panel at a conference about "minorities and justice." It emphasizes representation difficulties, white privilege, and the need of admitting and combating racism in the criminal justice system. She pledges to do anti-racist acts and advocates for more inclusion and accountability in social justice dialogues.