Association of gender-based discrimination and burnout among faculty in an urban academic medical center

BackgroundBurnout in physician and scientist faculty threatens professional satisfaction, mental health, and work quality while impacting women more than men. Women experience gender mistreatment more often than men, which may impact burnout.ObjectiveTo determine the differences in burnout, discrimination and harassment by gender, and whether these variables were associated with burnout in physician and scientist faculty.MethodsAn anonymous cross-sectional survey from November 2018 through February 2019 was conducted in physician and scientist faculty at a large urban hospital. Survey instruments included MaslachBurnout Inventory-2, gender-based discrimination and harassment questions, and demographic and professional characteristics.ResultsOf 4156 faculty, 1497 (36%) provided gender identification and were included in analyses. Women experienced burnout at higher rates than men (30.9% vs. 23.3%, <i>p</i> = 0.002). Women also experienced gender discrimination and gender harassment at 11 (25.0% vs 2.3%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and 5.7 (13.0% vs 2.3%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) times the rate of men, respectively. In a multivariable analysis, gender-based discrimination and harassment was associated with burnout among women (OR 1.65, <i>p</i> = 0.035) and overall (OR 1.65, <i>p</i> = 0.017), but not among men. In men, those aged 40-60 experienced increased burnout compared to those aged >60 (OR 2.67, <i>p</i> = 0.017). For all participants, burnout was associated with depression symptoms, poor work life integration, and lower leadership scores.ConclusionBurnout is prevalent in both men and women physicians and scientists, but correlates vary by gender. Findings suggest that interventions to reduce burnout should account for gender differences, target leadership behaviors and address gender bias and mistreatment.