How sexism impacts women faculty

In the past year, a survey found that 20 percent of female faculty at UW Medicine have experienced gender-based discrimination or harassment.

Identifying the problem is the first step toward fixing it, and leaders throughout UW Medicine, including Dr. Trish Kritek, professor (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine) and vice dean for faculty affairs for the UW School of Medicine, are finding ways to make the workplace more equitable.

Kritek and her colleagues in Academic Appointments and Compensation conduct salary equity reviews for faculty in each department to work to minimize inequitable pay practices. They also examine how long it takes female faculty to get promoted in comparison to their male counterparts.

“I also meet one-on-one with faculty all the time. It’s not uncommon that faculty raise concerns, such as challenges getting promoted or experiencing everyday microaggressions,” Kritek says.

The Women in Medicine and Science committee, Office of Faculty Affairs and Office of Healthcare Equity have created programs and other opportunities for female faculty to network with peers, find mentors, pursue leadership roles, advance careers, and more. 

They are working on restorative justice initiatives, helping women faculty feel heard, creating more opportunities and advocating for female faculty, amplifying women's voices, and speaking up to correct bias.

“What helps me speak up in the moment is thinking about what kind of workplace I want the next generation of women to work in,” Kritek says. “In order for them to thrive, we need to improve the climate in which we work now.”