Abstract: SA-PO027
Gender Disparities in Social Media and Medical Education
Session Information
- Educational Research
November 09, 2019 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Educational Research
- 800 Educational Research
Authors
- Madariaga, Hector M., Good Samaritan Medical Center, Brockton, Massachusetts, United States
- Lerma, Edgar V., Associates in Nephrology, SC, Berwyn, Illinois, United States
- Desai, Tejas, NOD Analytics, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Background
Gender inequality is a pervasive societal issue and medicine is not immune. The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) has prioritized initiatives to promote diversity, including addressing gender equality. In order to understand gender disparities in nephrology social media (#SoMe) education, we report data that measures the magnitude of the imbalance.
Methods
We examined the official #KidneyWk, the social media education platform of the annual ASN Meeting from 2011-13 and 2015-18 using NOD Analytics (@nephondemand). We measured the differences in tweets authored by and the interactions between men and women.
Results
As of 2019, the ASN had 18,041 current members; 11,179 males, 5,386 females, and 1,476 no gender selected. Since 2012, the number of female and male #SoMe educators has been increasing but the proportion of each has remained unchanged since 2015. Additionally, we also found that 64% of the 48,852 tweets included invitations for #SoMe educators to opine and join the online discourse during #KidneyWk; however, only 6% of these invitations were male #SoMe educators inviting a female #SoMe educator to join the conversation.
Conclusion
The number of female #SoMe educators and their tweeting activity are increasing but continues to be under-represented; both are needed prerequisites to restore gender balance in the online medical education community. Unfortunately, there is a gender imbalance and the percentage of invitations that females receive from their male counterparts to join various online discussions, particularly during #KidneyWk remains low. Indeed cross-gender invitations (either M-F and F-M) are low and can promote "educational islands" where knowledge of female perspectives are not adequately represented. Having gender diversity in #SoMe would not only mean a high number of female educators tweeting, but an equal exchange of ideas between females and males.