Gendered Differences in Letters of Recommendation for Transplant Surgery Fellowship Applicants.
J Surg Educ
; 76(2): 427-432, 2019.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30266555
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
No published study has explored gender differences in letters of recommendation for applicants entering surgical subspecialty fellowships.METHODS:
We conducted a retrospective review of letters of recommendation to a transplant surgery fellowship written for residents finishing general surgery residency programs. A dictionary of communal and agentic terms was used to explore differences of the letters based on applicant's gender as well as the academic rank and gender of the author.RESULTS:
Of the 311 reviewed letters, 228 were letters of recommendation written for male applicants. Male surgeons wrote 92.4% of the letters. Male applicant letters were significantly more likely to contain agentic terms such as superb, intelligent, and exceptional (pâ¯=â¯0.00086). Additionally, male applicant letters were significantly more likely to contain "future leader" (pâ¯=â¯0.047). Letters written by full professors, division chiefs, and program directors were significantly more likely to describe female applicants using communal terms like compassionate, calm, and delightful (pâ¯=â¯0.0301, pâ¯=â¯0.036, pâ¯=â¯0.036, respectively). In letters written by assistant professors, female letters of recommendation had significantly more references to family (pâ¯=â¯0.036).CONCLUSIONS:
Gendered differences exist in letters of recommendation for surgical fellowship applicants. This research may provide insight into the inherent gender bias that is revealed in letters supporting candidates entering the field.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Selección de Personal
/
Cirugía General
/
Trasplante
/
Correspondencia como Asunto
/
Becas
/
Solicitud de Empleo
Tipo de estudio:
Observational_studies
Límite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Surg Educ
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
EEUU
/
ESTADOS UNIDOS
/
ESTADOS UNIDOS DA AMERICA
/
EUA
/
UNITED STATES
/
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
/
US
/
USA