Lessons and Future Directions for a Gender Equity Pledge Campaign

BACKGROUND: In November 2019, the IWill gender equity pledge campaign called individuals in a health sciences university to make public pledges for gender equity and fostered meaningful dialog to alter mental models and power dynamics. Over 1400 staff, faculty, and students chose 1 of 18 pledges or created their own. METHODS: A follow-up, mixed-methods survey was sent to 1405 participants in July 2020. RESULTS: Fifty-six percent (n = 769) responded. Over 70% endorsed fulfilling their pledge and believed they had the power to promote equity. Men were significantly more likely to endorse fulfilling their pledge, and men and learners endorsed having the power to create change at significantly higher rates than women. Key barriers included time, support for completion, and nonconducive culture or hierarchy. Key supports included personal reminders, self-reflection, and support from a partner, community, or leader. Top reasons for participation in the campaign included fairness or justice, being part of a community, team diversity as an inherent good, and the sense that the Medical College of Wisconsin's (MCW) should be a leader in gender equity. CONCLUSION: The IWill campaign successfully encouraged faculty, staff, and learners to reflect upon and engage in equity work. Key learnings included the need to streamline administrative support while building a sense of community around equity, and the further work needed to engage leaders and directly support not just individual but also departmental and institutional efforts in gender equity.