Reflexivity and positionality applied to medical practice: a study on implicit gender bias with medical students in a Swiss university.

BACKGROUND: An array of evidence shows how the presence of implicit bias in clinical encounters can negatively impact provider-patient communication, quality of care and ultimately contribute to health inequities. Reflexive practice has been explored as an approach to identify and address implicit bias in healthcare providers, including medical students. At the Lausanne School of Medicine, a clinically integrated module was introduced in 2019 to raise students' awareness of gender bias in medical practice using a reflexivity and positionality approach. The purpose of this study is to describe the gender bias that were identified by medical students, analysing their types, places and modes of emergence during a clinical encounter. It further explores how positionality supported students' reflection on the way in which social position modulates their relationship to patients. METHODS: As part of the teaching activity, medical students individually reflected on gender bias in a specific clinical encounter by answering questions in their electronic portfolio. The questionnaire included a section on positionality. We qualitatively analysed the students' assignments (n=76), applying a thematic analysis framework. RESULTS: Medical students identified and described gender biases occurring at different moments of the clinical encounter (anamnesis (i.e. patient history), physical exam, differential diagnosis, final management). They causally associated these biases with wider social phenomena such as the gendered division of labour or stereotypes around sexuality and gender. Analysing students' reflections on how their position influenced their relationship with patients, we found that the suggested exercise revealed a major contradiction in the process of medical enculturation: the injunction to be neutral and objective erases the social and cultural context of patients and impedes an understanding of gender bias. CONCLUSION: Gender biases are present in the different steps of a clinical consultation and are rooted in broader gendered social representations. We further conclude that the tension between a quest for objectivity and the reality of social encounters should be made explicit to students, because it is constitutive of medical practice.

Is there a relationship between internalized misogyny and attitudes towards dating violence in young women?

This study aims to determine the relationship between young women's attitudes towards dating violence and internalized misogyny. This study used descriptive and relational design. The target population of the study was all young women aged between 18 and 24 years who lived in Turkey. A total of 288 individuals were accessed in the study. Data were collected through the "Personal Information Form" developed by the researchers, "Attitudes towards Dating Violence Scales", and the "Internalized Misogyny Scale". Participating young women's Attitudes Towards Male Psychological Dating Violence Scale mean score and the Internalized Misogyny Scale mean score demonstrated a positive and medium level relationship (p<0.01. r:0.412), and a positive and weak correlation was detected with Devaluing of Women (p<0.01. r:0.374), Distrust of Women (p<0.01. r:0.341), and gender bias in favor of men (p<0.01. r:0.321) sub-scale mean scores. This study found that although the level was weak, there was a correlation between internalized misogyny and dating violence, and the increase in internalized misogyny increased the acceptance of dating violence in young women.

[Gender bias in clinical management : what can we do ?] / Biais de genre dans la prise en charge médicale : que faire ?

Health data show that there are differences in clinical management based on gender. One hypothesis is that these differences in management are not intentional discrimination but are the result of implicit and unconscious biases on the part of healthcare providers. These biases influence the clinical reasoning and practice of providers. This article, using clinical examples, illustrates how reflective practice is integrated into medical teaching in Lausanne to enable students to identify their biases, control them and ensure fair and relevant care. Students are also prompted to reflect on their social positionality, as thematising the power dynamics around knowledge and social interactions helps to better understand and prepare for medical practice.

Les données en santé font état de différences de traitement médical en fonction du genre. L'une des hypothèses est que ces différences de traitement ne sont pas des discriminations intentionnelles, mais relèvent de biais implicites et inconscients des soignant-e-s. Ces biais ont une influence sur les raisonnements et la pratique clinique des soignant-e-s. Cet article, à l'aide d'exemples cliniques, illustre comment la pratique réflexive est intégrée à l'enseignement en médecine à Lausanne afin de permettre aux étudiant-e-s d'identifier leurs biais, de les contrôler et d'assurer des soins équitables et pertinents. Il est également proposé aux étudiant-e-s de réfléchir à leur positionnement social, car thématiser les dynamiques de pouvoir autour des savoirs et des interactions sociales permet de mieux comprendre et préparer la pratique médicale.

[THE EFFECTS OF GENDER ON THE MANIFESTATIONS AND CONSEQUENCES OF WEIGHT STIGMA].

INTRODUCTION: Weight stigma, or weight bias, refers to biased beliefs and negative opinions towards people with excess weight. This phenomenon manifests in prejudice and negative attitudes towards people with obesity, including disrespectful treatment, bullying, discrimination and even abuse, and leading to long-term negative consequences on physical and mental health. The purpose of the current review was to examine the relationship between gender and manifestations of weight stigma. Studies listed in this review show that the phenomenon of weight stigma is more common and severe among women, in numerous life areas, which include education, employment, the healthcare system, social media, sports industry, and interpersonal relationships. Possible reasons for such differences include the existing discrimination against women in various areas of life, and the emphasis on external appearance and the ideal of thinness, which relates mainly to women. In light of the serious consequences of weight stigma on public health and individual well-being, efforts must be made to prevent weight stigma, including the education of the general population, changing policies of healthcare, education and media systems, and legislation to prevent weight-based discrimination.

Methods for structural sexism and population health research: Introducing a novel analytic framework to capture life-course and intersectional effects.

Accumulating evidence links structural sexism to gendered health inequities, yet methodological challenges have precluded comprehensive examinations into life-course and/or intersectional effects. To help address this gap, we introduce an analytic framework that uses sequential conditional mean models (SCMMs) to jointly account for longitudinal exposure trajectories and moderation by multiple dimensions of social identity/position, which we then apply to study how early life-course exposure to U.S. state-level structural sexism shapes mental health outcomes within and between gender groups. Data came from the Growing Up Today Study, a cohort of 16,875 children aged 9-14 years in 1996 who we followed through 2016. Using a composite index of relevant public policies and societal conditions (e.g., abortion bans, wage gaps), we assigned each U.S. state a year-specific structural sexism score and calculated participants' cumulative exposure by averaging the scores associated with states they had lived in during the study period, weighted according to duration of time spent in each. We then fit a series of SCMMs to estimate overall and group-specific associations between cumulative exposure from baseline through a given study wave and subsequent depressive symptomology; we also fit models using simplified (i.e., non-cumulative) exposure variables for comparison purposes. Analyses revealed that cumulative exposure to structural sexism: (1) was associated with significantly increased odds of experiencing depressive symptoms by the subsequent wave; (2) disproportionately impacted multiply marginalized groups (e.g., sexual minority girls/women); and (3) was more strongly associated with depressive symptomology compared to static or point-in-time exposure operationalizations (e.g., exposure in a single year). Substantively, these findings suggest that long-term exposure to structural sexism may contribute to the inequitable social patterning of mental distress among young people living in the U.S. More broadly, the proposed analytic framework represents a promising approach to examining the complex links between structural sexism and health across the life course and for diverse social groups.

Dismantling the colonial mindset and becoming "Gender AWAke": From gendered complicity to embodied praxis.

The purpose of this article is to delineate the nature of the colonial mindset, which perpetuates gendered settler colonial structures of historical oppression in research and practice. By connecting a critical consciousness and living in alignment with agility (AWA), this work explicates pathways from gendered complicity to embodying praxis-or becoming gender AWAke. This article begins by describing the nature of the colonial mindset. Second, I critically examine the dominant discourse institutionalized by Western psychology. Third, I introduce the FHORT and critically analyze how the colonial mindset has affected and driven violence against Indigenous women. Examining how settler colonial structural sexism in its heteropatriarchal and heteropaternalistic forms has become imposed upon the lives of Indigenous women and gender-expansive peoples exposes subjugated knowledges; it provides an empirical scaffolding for people to become critically conscious of dominant gender norms that apply to people, institutions, and society more broadly. Finally, I propose living AWAke for personal and collective liberation.

Structural gendered racism as conceptualized by immigrant women in the United States.

RATIONALE: Immigrants represent a rapidly growing proportion of the population, yet the many ways in which structural inequities, including racism, xenophobia, and sexism, influence their health remains largely understudied. Perspectives from immigrant women can highlight intersectional dimensions of structural gendered racism and the ways in which racial and gender-based systems of structural oppression interact. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to show the multilevel manifestations of structural gendered racism in the health experiences of immigrant women living in New York City. METHOD: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted in 2020 and 2021 with 44 cisgender immigrant women from different national origins in New York City to explore how immigrant women experienced structural gendered racism and its pathways to their health. Interviews were thematically analyzed using a constant comparative approach. RESULTS: Participants expressed intersectional dimensions of structural gendered racism and the anti-immigrant climate through restrictive immigration policy and issues related to citizenship status, disproportionate immigration enforcement and criminalization, economic exploitation, and gendered interpersonal racism experienced across a range of systems and contexts. Participants weighed their concerns for safety and facing racism as part of their life course and health decisions for themselves and their families. CONCLUSIONS: The perspectives and experiences of immigrant women are key to identifying multilevel solutions for the burdens of structural gendered racism, particularly among individuals and communities of non-U.S. national origin. Understanding how racism, sexism, xenophobia, and intersecting systems of oppression impact immigrant women is critical for advancing health equity.

Experiences of sexist discrimination as a potential explanatory factor for alcohol and drug misuse among Latina young adult women.

RATIONALE: Marianismo beliefs, or traditional female gender role beliefs among Latinas, have been found to serve as risk or protective factors linked with health risk behaviors in prior studies, including alcohol and drug misuse. However, limited research has examined potential factors that may contribute to or explain these associations. Sexist discrimination, which can serve as a significant stressor that may contribute to substance misuse, is one potential factor that may link marianismo beliefs and substance misuse among Latina young adult women. OBJECTIVE: This study examined sexism as a potential mediator of hypothesized negative associations between five marianismo beliefs (Family Pillar, Virtuous and Chaste, Subordinate to Others, Silencing Self to Maintain Harmony, and Spiritual Pillar) and alcohol and drug misuse using structural equation modeling. METHOD: Participants included 611 cisgender Latina full-time college student young adult women in the U.S. ages 18-26 who participated in an online cross-sectional survey about their health and behaviors. RESULTS: Results delineated experiences of sexism as a significant risk factor for alcohol and drug misuse and as a potential explanatory factor that may partly explain associations between certain marianismo beliefs (i.e., Virtuous and Chaste beliefs) and substance misuse. Specifically, experiences of sexism partially accounted for the negative association between endorsement of the Virtuous and Chaste belief and increased alcohol and drug misuse among Latina young adults. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention and intervention efforts should take a culturally responsive, gender-informed approach to address substance misuse among Latina young adults and address the negative influence of sexism on health.

Sexual Harassment, Abuse, and Discrimination in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Unlike other surgical specialties, obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) has been predominantly female for the last decade. The association of this with gender bias and sexual harassment is not known. Objective: To systematically review the prevalence of sexual harassment, bullying, abuse, and discrimination among OB-GYN clinicians and trainees and interventions aimed at reducing harassment in OB-GYN and other surgical specialties. Evidence Review: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted to identify studies published from inception through June 13, 2023.: For the prevalence of harassment, OB-GYN clinicians and trainees on OB-GYN rotations in all subspecialties in the US or Canada were included. Personal experiences of harassment (sexual harassment, bullying, abuse, and discrimination) by other health care personnel, event reporting, burnout and exit from medicine, fear of retaliation, and related outcomes were included. Interventions across all surgical specialties in any country to decrease incidence of harassment were also evaluated. Abstracts and potentially relevant full-text articles were double screened.: Eligible studies were extracted into standard forms. Risk of bias and certainty of evidence of included research were assessed. A meta-analysis was not performed owing to heterogeneity of outcomes. Findings: A total of 10 eligible studies among 5852 participants addressed prevalence and 12 eligible studies among 2906 participants addressed interventions. The prevalence of sexual harassment (range, 250 of 907 physicians [27.6%] to 181 of 255 female gynecologic oncologists [70.9%]), workplace discrimination (range, 142 of 249 gynecologic oncologists [57.0%] to 354 of 527 gynecologic oncologists [67.2%] among women; 138 of 358 gynecologic oncologists among males [38.5%]), and bullying (131 of 248 female gynecologic oncologists [52.8%]) was frequent among OB-GYN respondents. OB-GYN trainees commonly experienced sexual harassment (253 of 366 respondents [69.1%]), which included gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion. The proportion of OB-GYN clinicians who reported their sexual harassment to anyone ranged from 21 of 250 AAGL (formerly, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists) members (8.4%) to 32 of 256 gynecologic oncologists (12.5%) compared with 32.6% of OB-GYN trainees. Mistreatment during their OB-GYN rotation was indicated by 168 of 668 medical students surveyed (25.1%). Perpetrators of harassment included physicians (30.1%), other trainees (13.1%), and operating room staff (7.7%). Various interventions were used and studied, which were associated with improved recognition of bias and reporting (eg, implementation of a video- and discussion-based mistreatment program during a surgery clerkship was associated with a decrease in medical student mistreatment reports from 14 reports in previous year to 9 reports in the first year and 4 in the second year after implementation). However, no significant decrease in the frequency of sexual harassment was found with any intervention. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found high rates of harassment behaviors within OB-GYN. Interventions to limit these behaviors were not adequately studied, were limited mostly to medical students, and typically did not specifically address sexual or other forms of harassment.

Pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial surgery residents' stress, career satisfaction, and gender-based discrimination/harassment.

OBJECTIVES: Dental residents experience high stress in their demanding programs and gender-based harassment/discrimination can contribute to their stress. The objectives were to compare stress, satisfaction, experienced sexual harassment and observed discrimination of women in dental graduate programs with high, medium, and low percentages of women and to explore relationships between these constructs of interest. METHODS: Note that, 112 pediatric dentistry (PD), 44 prosthodontics, and 56 oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residents responded to a survey. RESULTS: PD residents had the lowest personal life-related stress (4-point scale with 4 = very stressful: PD = 2.99/P = 3.67/OMS = 3.56; p < 0.001), faculty-related stress (2.68/3.66/3.03; p < 0.001), lack of confidence-related stress (2.79/3.31/2.96; p < 0.01) and academic stress (2.65/3.24/3.02; p < 0.001), while prosthodontics residents had the highest stress levels. The average frequency of experiencing sexual harassment was highest for OMS residents and lowest for PD residents (5-point scale with 1 = never: 1.15/2.62/2.74; p < 0.001). PD residents observed least and OMS residents most frequently that female residents were treated less positively by other residents because of their gender (1.59/2.57/3.00; p < 0.001). Prosthodontics residents had the lowest job satisfaction score (5-point scale with 1 = lowest satisfaction: 4.12/3.14/4.20; p < 0.001). The more frequently male and female residents experienced sexual harassment, the higher their personal life-related stress, faculty-related stress, lack of confidence-related stress, and academic stress, and the lower their career satisfaction, specialty content satisfaction, and stress-related satisfaction. Women's frequencies of observed gender-based discrimination were associated with higher stress and lower satisfaction, while men's frequencies of these observations were not associated with stress, but associated with increased satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Dental residents' stress, career satisfaction, experienced sexual harassment, and observed discrimination of women residents differ depending on the dental specialty program. Both male and female residents report more stress and less satisfaction the more they experience sexual harassment. The more women observe discrimination of women, the more stressed and the less satisfied they are. For men, the frequencies of these observations are not associated with stress, but positively associated with increased satisfaction.

'Probably just sexism'- gendered experiences of resource access in rugby.

Research pertaining to the experiences of women in rugby is scarce, which, coupled with the limited visibility of the sport and difficulty accessing resources, suggest that women's rugby remains undervalued. Indeed, evidence of such gender inequalities remains largely anecdotal, with little rigorous research undertaken to understand the perspectives of women in rugby. This study aimed to explore the experiences of a diverse cohort of rugby players in relation to their participation in the sport and their ability to access resources. Twenty UK-based rugby players (10 men, 9 women and 1 non-binary person aged 29.1 ± 8.3 years) from school, university, club, military, and semi-professional environments, volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews (36 ± 12 minutes) discussing their rugby experiences in relation to their gender and playing level. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and a reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken. A widespread under-prioritisation of women in rugby was highlighted. Gender biases were apparent in access to changing rooms, pitches, quality coaches, and playing opportunities, and were reportedly propagated at the managerial level. Irrespective of gender, some amateur players reported difficulty accessing a suitable rugby environment. Insufficient player numbers precluded the formation of second teams, often resulting in inexperienced players competing beyond their ability. Women's rugby players experienced considerable gender bias. This exploratory study highlights a need to address such issues to protect player welfare. Interventions to change the culture in rugby clubs and increased representation of women in managerial positions in rugby are recommended to enact meaningful change.

The impact of gendered experiences on the career choice of swiss medical students: A qualitative study protocol.

The problem of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in medicine is long-standing and widespread. This project aims to document and understand how gendered experiences encountered by final-year medical students in Switzerland are experienced by these individuals and how they influence their career choice. It also aims to identify representations and stereotypes linked to the different specialties. The project will take place at all Swiss universities offering a master's degree in human medicine, for a total of 9 programs. Around 36 participants will be recruited. Semi-structured qualitative individual interviews will be conducted. Analysis will be based on Grounded Theory principles.

Sexual harassment and implicit gender-career biases negatively impact women's life expectancy in the US: a state-level analysis, 2011-2019.

BACKGROUND: Despite some gains, women continue to have less access to work and poorer experiences in the workplace, relative to men. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among women's life expectancy and two work-related factors, sexual harassment and gender-career biases. METHOD: We examined the associations at the state level of analysis (and District of Columbia) in the US from 2011 to 2019 (n = 459) using archival data from various sources. Measures of the ratio of population to primary health providers, year, the percent of adults who are uninsured, the percent of residents aged 65 or older, and percent of residents who are Non-Hispanic White all served as controls. RESULTS: Results of linear regression models showed that, after accounting for the controls, sexual harassment and gender-career biases among people in the state held significant, negative associations with women's life expectancy. CONCLUSION: The study contributes to the small but growing literature showing that negative workplace experiences and bias against women in the workplace negatively impact women's health.

Everything changes but nothing changes: gender stereotypes in the Italian population.

PURPOSE: Gender stereotypes refer to consensual or cultural shared beliefs about the attributes of men and women, influencing society behaviors, interpersonal relationships, education, and workplace. The literature has shown the existence of gender stereotypes on career choices, internalization of roles, and school and social experiences and demonstrates the impact of demographic factors on stereotypes. However, all the studies conducted in Italy available in scientific literature analyzed small sample sizes within specific schools of university settings, with a limited age range. METHODS: To assess the current state of gender stereotypes in Italy, we conducted an online survey from October 2022 to January 2023 on the general population residing in Italy. The questionnaire comprised sociodemographic factors and questions about gender stereotypes, investigating six fields: games, jobs, personality traits, home and family activities, sports, and moral judgments. RESULTS: The study involved 1854 participants, mostly women (70.1%) with an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (57.5%). The statistical and descriptive analyses revealed that gender stereotypes influenced respondents' beliefs, with statistically significant effects observed in most questions when stratifying by age, gender, and degree. Principal component analysis was performed to assess latent variables in different fields, revealing significant main stereotypes in each category. No statistically significant differences between men and women were found for the fields home and family activities, games, and moral judgments, confirming that stereotypes affect both men and women in the same way. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show the persistence of gender stereotypes in any fields investigated, although our cohort is predominantly composed of high educational level women living in the North of Italy. This demonstrates that the long-standing gender stereotypes are prevalent, pernicious, and, unfortunately, internalized at times even by successful women pushbacking and sabotaging them unconsciously.

Online images amplify gender bias.

Each year, people spend less time reading and more time viewing images1, which are proliferating online2-4. Images from platforms such as Google and Wikipedia are downloaded by millions every day2,5,6, and millions more are interacting through social media, such as Instagram and TikTok, that primarily consist of exchanging visual content. In parallel, news agencies and digital advertisers are increasingly capturing attention online through the use of images7,8, which people process more quickly, implicitly and memorably than text9-12. Here we show that the rise of images online significantly exacerbates gender bias, both in its statistical prevalence and its psychological impact. We examine the gender associations of 3,495 social categories (such as 'nurse' or 'banker') in more than one million images from Google, Wikipedia and Internet Movie Database (IMDb), and in billions of words from these platforms. We find that gender bias is consistently more prevalent in images than text for both female- and male-typed categories. We also show that the documented underrepresentation of women online13-18 is substantially worse in images than in text, public opinion and US census data. Finally, we conducted a nationally representative, preregistered experiment that shows that googling for images rather than textual descriptions of occupations amplifies gender bias in participants' beliefs. Addressing the societal effect of this large-scale shift towards visual communication will be essential for developing a fair and inclusive future for the internet.

Evaluation of ambivalent sexism in Colombia and validation of the ASI and AMI brief scales.

Sexism has implications for people's physical and mental health. Thus, understanding sexism and its prevalence is key to understanding the phenomenon. In the current study, 717 Colombian men and women completed the brief scales of Ambivalent Sexism toward women and men and the Gender Identity Scale. The assessment was conducted using a web-based method. Both scales, as expected, were two-dimensional. Reliability ranged from .83 to .88. Moderate and high correlations were observed with the Gender Identity Scale. Men showed higher levels of hostile and benevolent sexism toward women and benevolent sexism toward men. It was also found that the higher the level of education, the lower the rates of sexism toward men and women. The brief scales were valid and reliable for measuring hostile and benevolent sexism in Colombia.

The harm hypothesis: How perceived harm to women shapes reactions to research on sex differences.

Past research suggests that reactions to research on sex differences are often less positive when the findings put men in a better light than women, especially when the lead researcher is a man. The factors underlying this effect, however, are not yet fully understood. The present study aimed to provide the first experimental test of the hypothesis that the key variable is perceived harm to women. Participants (214 men and 219 women) evaluated a bogus popular-science article reporting fictional research finding either a female- or a male-favouring sex difference in intelligence, attributed to either a female or a male lead researcher. To examine the effects of perceived harm, the introduction to the task highlighted either the potential benefits or potential drawbacks of sex-differences research in general. Consistent with past research, participants reacted less positively to the male-favouring difference, especially for male-led research. Consistent with the harm hypothesis, the effect was stronger after highlighting the potential drawbacks of sex-differences research than after highlighting the potential benefits. Our findings suggest that perceptions of harm to women underpin the aversion to male-favouring findings.

Hostile sexism is related to worse mental health outcomes among fathers.

OBJECTIVE: Transition to parenthood is a life-changing yet stressful event for both men and women. The present study aims to: (1) establish the incidence of prenatal paternal depression and anxiety in a sample of expectant fathers and (2) assess the relationship between sexist beliefs and mental health outcomes. METHODS: We recruited expectant fathers (n = 100) who attended the Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic of Eskisehir Osmangazi University Hospital with their pregnant partners. Fathers completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Ambivalent Sexism Scale. RESULTS: 36% of expectant fathers reported depression, and 12% reported anxiety. Hostile sexism was correlated with depression (r = 0.303, p < 0.01), and anxiety (r = 0.228, p < 0.05). Benevolent sexism was not related to anxiety or depression (each, p > 0.05). Family social support (p = 0.004) and perceived financial satisfaction (p = 0.027) predicted anxiety, while family social support (p < 0.001) and perceived financial satisfaction (p = 0.036) predicted depression. Hostile sexism predicted both anxiety (B = 0.28, p = 0.004) and depression (B = 0.32, p < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: Results may not show a causal relationship due to the study's cross-sectional design. We recruited participants in only one center. Our measures of anxiety and depression were purely psychometric. CONCLUSIONS: Sexist beliefs may serve as environmental stressors among men in the perinatal period by increasing the masculine role stress. Future interventions to treat prenatal paternal depression may target sexism.

In-depth exploration of challenges faced by women in the Turkish maritime industry: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Women are underrepresented in the maritime industry compared to men. This sector continues to perpetuate gender discrimination and stereotypes, often overlooking women's physical competence. OBJECTIVE: To explore the multi-faceted challenges faced by Turkish female officers, unveiling the different dimensions of these challenges, and providing a comprehensive understanding of their experiences. METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 Turkish female officers actively working on seagoing vessels. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA software. RESULTS: The challenges faced by female officers were examined using content analysis. A total of 50 different codes were identified within 10 categories. The categories are gender inequality, violence, restriction of freedom, work-family conflict, mental health, physical differences, unsafe living space, insufficient communication with management, lack of psychometric testing and limited access to health services. CONCLUSION: By shedding light on the unique obstacles faced by female officers in Turkey, this study enhances our understanding of the underlying challenges and lays the groundwork for the implementation of effective policies and practices that promote the empowerment of women in the maritime industry.

Perceptions of sexism interact with perceived criticism on women's response to sexist remarks in different relationship types.

Sexism is a widespread form of gender discrimination, which can take the form of criticism towards women based on gender stereotypes. However, little is known about how perceived criticism and sexism shape one's construal of criticism from various interpersonal sources. The present study investigated whether perceived criticism, perceived sexism and the source of criticism (mother, father, workplace supervisor, romantic partner) interact to influence upset levels in response to criticism. 178 participants completed perceived criticism (PC) ratings for the four relationships and 95 female participants also completed the Schedule of Sexist Events scale. Participants read experimental vignettes describing scenarios of criticism from different sources and rated how upset they would feel in each scenario. Perceived sexism significantly moderated the effect of PC on upset levels only for sexist-related criticism from romantic partners and supervisors. Female participants with low perceived sexism show higher levels of upset as PC increased for sexist-related criticism from supervisors whereas female participants with high perceived sexism show lower levels of upset as PC increased for sexist-related criticism from romantic partners. These findings contribute towards understanding how perceived criticism and perceived sexism influence affective reactions to criticism across interpersonal sources.