title: Gender Discrimination among Medical Students in Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence and magnitude of gender discrimination experienced by undergraduate medical students, and its repercussions on their academic performance and emotional health.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional study of 500 medical and dental students studying at a private medical college in Lahore, Pakistan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority (78%) of students reported being victims of gender discrimination. Females were the main perpetrators (70.8%).Most common forms were denied opportunities (63%), followed by neglecting students' needs (44.3%), and unethical talk (43.6%). Most common places of gender discrimination were teachers' offices (43.7%) and lecture halls (37.2%). Most of the perpetrators were clerical staff (48%) and professors (43%).Gender discrimination did not affect the academic performance of most victims (62.6%). The most common emotional responses were anger (57.6%), frustration (46.7%) and helplessness (40.3%). 52.4% of students said that gender discrimination still continues and the majority (83.3%) did not report the problem to college authorities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RESULTS demonstrate that gender discrimination is widely prevalent in undergraduate medical education. Females are both the main victims as well as the main perpetrators. In most cases gender discrimination does not affect academic performance but does cause emotional distress.
authors.affiliation: Ali Madeeh Hashmi, MD, Foreign Professor III (HEC), Psychiatry, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madeeh Hashmi
authors.affiliation: Amra Rehman, 4th Year MBBS, CMH Lahore Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Amra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rehman
authors.affiliation: Zeeshan Butt, MBBS, Resident in Internal Medicine, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Zeeshan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Butt
authors.affiliation: Muhammad Awais Aftab, MBBS, Graduate, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Awais Aftab
authors.affiliation: Aimen Shahid, 4th Year MBBS, CMH Lahore Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Aimen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shahid
authors.affiliation: Sahar Abbas Khan, 4th Year MBBS, CMH Lahore Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbas Khan
keywords: Gender; Gender discrimination; Medical education; Medical students