Researchers found that professional societies in cardiology are more likely to award men and white individuals than women and minority groups, tctMD reported Nov. 15.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, looked at honors given between 2000 and 2021 by seven professional societies. The study found that overall, 75.3 percent of awards were given to white individuals and 76.2 percent were men. However, there was a slight shift in the demographics of honorees over the two-decade period.
This "indicates a leaky pipeline," Kinza Iqbal, the study's lead investigator, told tctMD. "Several factors, including implicit bias, may be responsible for preventing underrepresented groups from ascending the academic ladder and receiving senior awards like 'lifetime achievement awards.'"
5 more notes:
- In 2000, 92.3 percent of recipients were white, which decreased to 62.8 percent in 2021. All other racial groups saw an increase in honorees over that time.
- Asians were more likely to receive early-career awards (36.7 percent) but only 15 percent received an award later in their career.
- Excluding female-specific honors, men received 76.2 percent of awards while women received only 23.8 percent.
- There was a positive shift based on sex over the time studied: In 2000, only 7.7 percent of awardees were female, and in 2021 that rose to 31.2 percent.
- Of women and minorities who received awards, most already were well-known names or had active social media accounts, according to the study.