Изследване на джендър неравенства

Изследване на механизмите на възпроизвеждане на неравенството по пол по отношение на избор на медицинска специалност.

Project description

The project approached new territories with a state of the art methodology, namely gender mainstreaming. No studies have been conducted on factors that influence the choice of medical specialty. All we can see is the result – ‘soft’ medical specialties are selected by women and ‘hard’ medical specialties - by men. The gender approach we apply questions this choice and focuses on failure of the system to provide equality. The innovative nature of this project is to reveal gender biases in medical specialty selection.

Another strength of the project is its preventive nature: its raises awareness among medical students that are to make their choice of specialty in the next years.

Medical students from 1^st to 4^th year of study, members of the Medical students’ Association at Sofia University, Bulgaria are selected as a target group. As opinion leaders among their peers it is more effective to cover them than to reach every single medical student.

Projects’ objectives address social interactions aspect of gender inequality in medical specialty pursue among medical students, namely:

Objective 1. Recognize gender stereotypes, including gender stereotypes in medicine.

Objective 2. Gain knowledge on the mechanism by which gender roles are fostered in everyday interactions (doctor-client; doctor-doctor; doctor-head of hospital, faculty-medical students).

Objective 3. Gain knowledge on the aftermaths of gender stereotypes in medicine

Objective 4. Identify possible ways out of gender roles in medical profession.

Objective 5. Evaluate to what degree gender is a master status for medical students in the process of medical specialty pursue.

Objective 6. Research and publish research findings on gender biases in medical specialty pursue among medical students

These objectives can be summarized as follows:

Medical specialty is chosen only on the ground of professional interest, not on the basis of societal expectations and system biases.

This project is supported by the European Youth Foundation.

26.11.2010

Project follow-up

A workshop was held on 04-05.12.2010 in Bjala Cherkva, near Plovdiv. The objectives of the workshop were to raise awareness on gender roles and gender expectations, to discuss participant’s relevant experience and to identify possible ways out of gender biases in medical specialty pursue.

A project report in English and Bulgarian is published and distributed to all medical departments in Bulgaria and can be downloaded here.

20.01.2011