Insights from North American radiology grand rounds: Determining patterns of gender bias in professional introductions

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of moderator and speaker gender, as well as geographic location, on the use of professional titles during introductions in radiology grand rounds. Specifically, the study aimed to investigate potential gender disparities in how moderators introduce speakers, focusing on the use of formal titles such as "Doctor" compared to informal name-based introductions.

Methods

The study utilized English-language radiology grand rounds video recordings from seven institutions in Canada and the United States of America (USA) that were chosen due to their publicly available videos. The gender of the moderator and speaker and the type of title introduction the speaker received from the moderator (introducing them as “Doctor” or their name followed by their degree credentials or their first name only). Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests were used to analyze the correlation between demographic variables (moderator and speaker gender, and country) and the chosen style of introduction (title usage).

Results

The study analyzed 250 speaker introductions in radiology grand rounds presentations at institutions in Canada and the USA. The professional title "Doctor" was used to introduce speakers 160 out of 250 instances (64.0 %) and significant gender disparities were found in how male moderators introduced speakers. Male moderators used the professional title "Doctor" to introduce male speakers 71.9 % of the time but did so for female speakers only 29.6 % of the time (χ²(1, N = 168) = 27.0, p < 0.001). Additionally, male moderators were more likely to introduce female speakers by "Name only" (44.4 %) compared to male speakers (18.4 %), (χ²(1, N = 168) = 12.59, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Although the title “Doctor” was used to introduce speakers the majority of the time, it was observed that male moderators are more likely to introduce male speakers with the title “Doctor” than female speakers, highlighting a potential gender bias in the recognition of professional status. However, female moderators were shown to introduce both male and female speakers as “Doctor” the majority of the time. Promoting equitable recognition across genders requires addressing these dynamics in professional environments.