“Despite the eccentricities of the study, our results show that even when you focus exclusively on men with mustaches – which are rare – women are still outnumbered across various specialties”. However, the number of females is increasing, reflected by the increase from 29 percent back in 1999 to 36 per cent in 2009.
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However, the proportion of women in academic medicine remains low, with only 21% full professors being women.
“This is a problem not only because of the strong ethical argument for equality but also for practical reasons: in business, having more women leaders has been linked with better performance”, the study said.
The proportion of female department leaders by institution ranged from zero to 26 percent, while the proportion of mustachioed department leaders ranged from none to 37 percent. Even so, the scientists involved said that they were still surprised that among the top 1,000 doctors in the USA, moustaches outnumbered women.
“With the help of the institutions” websites, they noted down the sex of the leaders and whether or not the men had a moustache or not.
The only women who accounted for more than 20% of leadership positions were found in particular departments.
Results showed that of the 20 specialties examined, only five (obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, dermatology, family medicine and emergency medicine), had more than 20 per cent female department leaders, compared to ten specialties where men with mustaches made up more than 20 per cent of department leaders. For each department leader, the team recorded the medical specialty, institution, gender, and presence of mustache.
According to the study led by Mackenzie Wehner and published in the British Medical Journal, 13% out of 1,018 medical heads are women, while mustaches are in charge in 19% of cases.
Moustaches included both stand-alone ones, such as the Copstash Standard, Pencil, Handlebar and Supermario, as well as moustaches in combination with other facial hair, such as the Van Dyke, The Balbo and Napoleon III Imperial.
The thickest moustache density was found in psychiatry, pathology and anaesthiology. “We believe that every department and institution should strive for a moustache index ≥1”.
However, they note that the latter choice is “discriminatory” and could have “detrimental effect on workplace satisfaction and emotional well-being”.
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By adopting new and harsher policies against sexual harassment and discrimination and by offering remunerated parental leave employers are trying to fill these big gaps.
