Table 1.
Percentage of Subjects Responding with a Positive Answer to Microaggressions by Sex: Women versus Men
| Microaggressions | Men, n (%) | Women, n (%) | P * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q9. In the last year, participants have been… | |||
| A. A target of a microaggression | 36 (41.9%) | 50 (58.1%) | 0.085 |
| B. A perpetrator of a microaggression | 10 (58.8%) | 7 (41.2%) | 0.434 |
| C. A silent witness to a microaggression | 35 (43.8%) | 45 (56.3%) | 0.353 |
| Q10. Participants identified the individuals who have been the most likely to partake in microaggressions in the past year as… | |||
| A. patients/patients family | 41 (45.1%) | 50 (54.9%) | 0.546 |
| B. Male surgeons | 31 (38.3%) | 50 (61.7%) | 0.009 |
| C. Female surgeons | 29 (55.8%) | 23 (44.2%) | 0.146 |
| D. Other male medical professionals | 22 (44.9%) | 27 (55.1%) | 0.716 |
| E. Other female medical professionals | 24 (42.1%) | 33 (57.9%) | 0.369 |
| F. Male support staff | 18 (46.2%) | 21 (53.8%) | 1 |
| G. Female support staff | 27 (44.3%) | 34 (55.7%) | 0.592 |
| Q11. During residency/fellowship… | |||
| A. Strength and/or ability was questioned because of their gender or sexual orientation | 4 (9.8%) | 37 (90.2%) | <0.001 |
| B. Material in lectures/CME/formal presentations were demeaning to their gender or sexual orientation | 3 (30.0%) | 7 (70.0%) | 0.332 |
| C. Participants were told they should not be a plastic surgeon because of their gender or sexual orientation | 3 (21.4%) | 11 (78.6%) | 0.049 |
| D. Participants were told they will not be a good plastic surgeon because of their gender or sexual orientation | 4 (28.6%) | 10 (71.4%) | 0.164 |
| E. Pregnancy and/or family planning were discussed in a negative way | 4 (12.1%) | 29 (87.9%) | <0.001 |
| F. Participants responded that there were inappropriate photos displayed in the workplace | 4 (36.4%) | 7 (63.6%) | 0.538 |
| G. Participants received inappropriate comments made regarding their gender or sexual orientation | 6 (24%) | 19 (76%) | 0.013 |
| Q12. During residency/fellowship… | |||
| A. Appearance was commented on in a negative way | 15 (44.1%) | 19 (55.9%) | 0.693 |
| B. Way of being (voice, behavior, personality) was discussed in a negative way because of their gender | 11 (29.7%) | 26 (70.3%) | 0.018 |
| C. Participants were asked to do something that would not be requested of the opposite gender (eg, take earrings out of patient prior to surgery) | 10 (21.7%) | 36 (78.3%) | <0.001 |
| Q13. During residency/fellowship, participants… | |||
| A. Were excluded from social events because of their gender or sexual orientation | 6 (40.0%) | 9 (60.0%) | 0.593 |
| B. Missed training opportunities because of their gender or sexual orientation | 3 (27.3%) | 8 (72.7%) | 0.214 |
| C. Had their title excluded in introductions, correspondence, etc. | 3 (9.7%) | 28 (90.3%) | <0.001 |
| D. Had been mistaken for a nurse, rep, PA, etc. by their coworkers | 9 (15.5%) | 49 (84.5%) | <0.001 |
| E. Had been mistaken for a nurse, rep, PA, etc. by a patient or patient’s family | 12 (15.8%) | 64 (84.2%) | <0.001 |
| F. Had been mistaken for a nurse, rep, PA, etc. at a meeting | 3 (12.5%) | 21 (87.5%) | <0.001 |
| G. Noted underrepresentation of women on the podium at meetings | 9 (21.4%) | 33 (78.6%) | <0.001 |
| H. Had their orders, technique, or decisions questioned because of their gender or sexual orientation | 2 (7.4%) | 25 (92.6%) | <0.001 |
| I. Were treated differently by staff because of their gender or sexual orientation | 9 (20.0%) | 36 (80.0%) | <0.001 |
| Q14. During residency/fellowship, participants… | |||
| A. Were excluded from the “Doctor’s lounge/locker room” due to their gender or sexual orientation | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (100.0%) | 0.059 |
| B. Experienced fewer locker room resources due to their gender or sexual orientation | 2 (12.5%) | 14 (87.5%) | 0.003 |
| C. Saw signage that the nurse’s locker room = women’s locker room | 1 (9.1%) | 10 (90.9%) | 0.010 |
| D. Did not have physical resources available to breastfeed/ pump while working | 0 (0%) | 10 (100%) | 0.002 |
| E. Did not have lead shielding sized for their frame while working in the OR | 5 (11.9%) | 37 (88.1%) | <0.001 |
*Pearson chi-square of independence and Fisher exact tests.