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Childbearing Among Women Cardiologists
Quick Takes
- Childbearing can adversely impact women’s careers in cardiology.
- Many women cardiologists confront legal violations of the Family Medical Leave Act related to pregnancy and postpartum.
Study Questions:
What are the experiences and impact of childbearing on women cardiologists and their careers?
Methods:
Women cardiologists in the United States were surveyed about their experiences while pregnant and on maternity leave. There were 16 questions and two open sections for comments. Free-text replies were analyzed to determine whether employer actions were potentially in violation of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or antidiscrimination laws.
Results:
Of the 323 respondents who had been pregnant while practicing as a cardiologist, 37% reported required extra service or call prior to their maternity leaves, and this was associated with a higher rate of being placed on bedrest before delivery (17.5% vs. 7.4% in those not doing extra service or call, p = 0.005). Salary decreases occurred in 41% of women during the year of pregnancy, 23% reported no paid maternity leave, and only 7% had their relative value units prorated for their time on maternity leave. Women who reported pregnancy complications (36.5%) were more likely to report that pregnancy had adversely affected their career. At least one troubling legal practice was reported by nearly three-fourths of the respondents (n = 237).
Conclusions:
In the United States, cardiologists report wide variations in maternity leave. Many cardiologists likely experience violations of the MLA or other statutes.
Perspective:
Women continue to be under-represented in cardiology. Despite women making up more than half of all medical students in the United States, only 15% of practicing cardiologists and 25% of cardiology trainees are women. Concerns about childbearing likely discourage many women from pursuing a career in cardiology. This important survey revealed that a large proportion of practicing cardiologists experience extra service and call before taking maternity leave, which may be associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications and adverse career implications. Illegal behaviors regarding maternity leave likely exist within a culture and climate that also includes sex discrimination and parental discrimination. The authors of this study suggest several important solutions to improve the work environment for parents in cardiology: 1) transparent and consistent maternity leave policies, 2) no paybacks for maternity leave, 3) protection from work-related emails while on maternity leave, 4) provision of private and comfortable spaces for lactation/pumping, 5) providing time for lactation/pumping, and 6) consider locum as temporary replacement while cardiologists are on parental leave.
Clinical Topics: Cardiovascular Care Team, Prevention
Keywords: Bed Rest, Cardiologists, Lactation, Parental Leave, Physicians, Women, Policy, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Secondary Prevention, Sexism, Social Discrimination, Students, Medical, Time Factors, Women, Workforce
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