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Journal of Medical Education

Document Type

Original Article

Abstract

Background: Feminist scholars have used the term ``chilly classroom'' to describe the marginalization of women in higher education. The present study investigated female medical students' experiences with and strategies for coping with the chilly classroom in the ``hidden curriculum'' of unspoken gender and class norms.
Methods: Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 female medical students (Years 1–6) of a Taiwanese university; the interviews were recorded, and the transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis.
Results: Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) culture of hierarchical interactions, (2) family privilege and exclusive access to resources, and (3) gender discrimination and perpetuation of gendered hierarchies. The results revealed that socioeconomic privilege and double standards disadvantaged women. The interviewed students internalized these class-based and gendered norms, which insidiously molded their career aspirations. In addition, limited sensitivity to women's bodily needs during instruction rendered these needs invisible in ostensibly neutral educational settings.
Conclusions: The participants perceived the hidden curriculum as operating through intersecting gendered and class-based mechanisms that may reinforce structural inequities. Consequently, a holistic, gender-sensitive approach is required to address the intersecting gendered and class-based dynamics that may constrain women's learning opportunities and professional trajectories.

First Page

93

Last Page

101

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