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Tricco AC, Parker A, Khan PA, Nincic V, Robson R, MacDonald H, Warren R, Cleary O, Zibrowski E, Baxter N, Burns KEA, Coyle D, Ndjaboue R, Clark JP, Langlois EV, Ahmed SB, Witteman HO, Graham ID, El-Adhami W, Skidmore B, Légaré F, Curran J, Hawker G, Watt J, Bourgeault IL, Leigh JP, Lawford K, Aiken A, McCabe C, Shepperd S, Pattani R, Leon N, Lundine J, Adisso ÉL, Ono S, Rabeneck L, Straus SE. Interventions on gender equity in the workplace: a scoping review. BMC Med 2024; 22:149. [PMID: 38581003 PMCID: PMC10998304 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03346-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Various studies have demonstrated gender disparities in workplace settings and the need for further intervention. This study identifies and examines evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on interventions examining gender equity in workplace or volunteer settings. An additional aim was to determine whether interventions considered intersection of gender and other variables, including PROGRESS-Plus equity variables (e.g., race/ethnicity). METHODS Scoping review conducted using the JBI guide. Literature was searched in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, ERIC, Index to Legal Periodicals and Books, PAIS Index, Policy Index File, and the Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database from inception to May 9, 2022, with an updated search on October 17, 2022. Results were reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension to scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR), Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidance, Strengthening the Integration of Intersectionality Theory in Health Inequality Analysis (SIITHIA) checklist, and Guidance for Reporting Involvement of Patients and the Public (GRIPP) version 2 checklist. All employment or volunteer sectors settings were included. Included interventions were designed to promote workplace gender equity that targeted: (a) individuals, (b) organizations, or (c) systems. Any comparator was eligible. Outcomes measures included any gender equity related outcome, whether it was measuring intervention effectiveness (as defined by included studies) or implementation. Data analyses were descriptive in nature. As recommended in the JBI guide to scoping reviews, only high-level content analysis was conducted to categorize the interventions, which were reported using a previously published framework. RESULTS We screened 8855 citations, 803 grey literature sources, and 663 full-text articles, resulting in 24 unique RCTs and one companion report that met inclusion criteria. Most studies (91.7%) failed to report how they established sex or gender. Twenty-three of 24 (95.8%) studies reported at least one PROGRESS-Plus variable: typically sex or gender or occupation. Two RCTs (8.3%) identified a non-binary gender identity. None of the RCTs reported on relationships between gender and other characteristics (e.g., disability, age, etc.). We identified 24 gender equity promoting interventions in the workplace that were evaluated and categorized into one or more of the following themes: (i) quantifying gender impacts; (ii) behavioural or systemic changes; (iii) career flexibility; (iv) increased visibility, recognition, and representation; (v) creating opportunities for development, mentorship, and sponsorship; and (vi) financial support. Of these interventions, 20/24 (83.3%) had positive conclusion statements for their primary outcomes (e.g., improved academic productivity, increased self-esteem) across heterogeneous outcomes. CONCLUSIONS There is a paucity of literature on interventions to promote workplace gender equity. While some interventions elicited positive conclusions across a variety of outcomes, standardized outcome measures considering specific contexts and cultures are required. Few PROGRESS-Plus items were reported. Non-binary gender identities and issues related to intersectionality were not adequately considered. Future research should provide consistent and contemporary definitions of gender and sex. TRIAL REGISTRATION Open Science Framework https://osf.io/x8yae .
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Tricco
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada.
| | - Amanda Parker
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Paul A Khan
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Vera Nincic
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Reid Robson
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Heather MacDonald
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Rachel Warren
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Olga Cleary
- Centre for Health Policy and Management, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Nancy Baxter
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Karen E A Burns
- Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Doug Coyle
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Ruth Ndjaboue
- École de Travail Social, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, (Québec), Canada
| | - Jocalyn P Clark
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Etienne V Langlois
- Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sofia B Ahmed
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Holly O Witteman
- Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Ian D Graham
- Centre for Implementation Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Wafa El-Adhami
- Science in Australia Gender Equity Limited, Greenway, Australia
| | | | - France Légaré
- Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Janet Curran
- School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Gillian Hawker
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jennifer Watt
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
| | | | - Jeanna Parsons Leigh
- School of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Karen Lawford
- Department of Gender Studies, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek Territories, Queen's University, Settlement of Kingston, Canada
| | - Alice Aiken
- Research and Innovation, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | | | - Sasha Shepperd
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK
| | - Reena Pattani
- Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, St Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Natalie Leon
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Évèhouénou Lionel Adisso
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Santa Ono
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Linda Rabeneck
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sharon E Straus
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 209 Victoria Street, 7th Floor, East Building, Toronto, ON, M5B 1T8, Canada
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