Regina Barragan-Carrillo: Gender Disparities in Oncology – A Report From Four Countries in Latin America
Regina Barragan-Carrillo, Postdoctoral fellow at City of Hope, posted on X:
“Gender Disparities in Oncology in Latin America.
How are female oncologists in LATAM navigating inequity, harassment, and work-life balance? A landmark study across LATAM countries sheds light on persistent gender gaps in our field published at JCO Global Oncology.
Survey of 254 oncologists (88% women) from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Peru. Inspired by ESMO’s W4O survey.
- 68% were attending physicians.
- 55% based in Mexico.
- Majority worked 41–60 hrs/week.
83% of women reported experiencing gender inequity in their career vs only 37% of men. Being a woman was a major risk factor (OR 15.7; P<0.001). Bias came not only from male colleagues—but also from patients, coworkers, and superiors.
Harassment was common:
- 60% of women vs 19% of men reported workplace harassment.
- 34% of women vs 16% of men reported sexual harassment.
- These numbers are higher than those seen in ASCO surveys.
Wage and leadership gaps persist:
- Only 8% said the top earner at their institution was a woman.
- 32% had a female boss.
- 2 out of 3 institutions had no gender equity initiatives in place.
Work-life balance also hits hard: Women with full-time roles (attending or trainee) were less likely to have children.
But working fewer hours (20–40/wk) was significantly associated with higher odds of childbearing.
Despite limitations (convenience sample, mostly women), this is the first multicountry study on gender disparities in oncology in LATAM.
It gives us actionable insights and reveals where we must intervene.
Solutions proposed:
- Institutional gender equity programs
- Childcare and flexible scheduling
- Mentorship and leadership training
- Explicit anti-harassment policies
- Equity training in residency/fellowship
Latin America is not immune to global gender gaps in oncology—but now we have the data to fight back.”
Title: Gender Disparities in Oncology: A Report From Four Countries in Latin America
Authors: Julia Ismael, Paola Montenegro, Bettina Müller, Regina Barragan-Carrillo, Jazmín Hernández-Marín, Edith A. Fernández-Figueroa, Jesús Argueta-Donohué, Erika Ruiz-Garcia
Read The Full Article at JCO Global Oncology.
More posts featuring Regina Barragan-Carrillo.
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Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
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ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
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ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
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Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
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OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023