Medical students and professional anatomists do not perceive gender bias within imagery featuring anatomy

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that, while both medical students and professional anatomists recognise the importance of gender issues and do not wish to associate with sexism, most are unaware of the possible negative aspects of sexism within anatomy (Morgan et al., 2014, 2016). To further investigate these issue, we provided second year medical students at Cardiff University (n=293) and at the University of Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité (n= 142) and professional anatomists in Europe (n= 208) with a questionnaire inviting them to address the possibility that gender factors within anatomical imagery (both historical and contemporary) hinder the dispassionate representation of anatomy. Ethical approval for the survey was obtained from the universities at both Cardiff and Paris. In the light of previous findings, the hypothesis tested was that medical students and professional anatomists do not perceive a gender bias when reflected in imagery that is based upon anatomical iconography. Our survey results support this hypothesis and suggest that most students and anatomists are unaware of the possible negative aspects of sexism within the culture of anatomy. We consequently recommend that teachers of anatomy and authors of anatomical textbooks should be aware of the possibility of adverse effects on professional matters relating to equality and diversity issues when using imagery. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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