Factors Affecting Women Surgeons’ Careers in Low–Middle‐Income Countries: An International Survey

Malik, Mahim; Inam, Hina; Janjua, Mahin; Martins, Russell Seth; Zahid, Nida; Khan, Sadaf; Sattar, Abida K.; Haider, Adil H.; Enam, Syed Ather

doi:10.1007/s00268-020-05811-9

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Overall, 27 papers92–118 were focused on careers for female surgeons, of which 12 were surveys, 5 were retrospective observational studies, 5 were cross-sectional studies and 5 were semi-structured interviews (Supplemental Material Table 3, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/SLA/D857). Of those, 15 were based in the United States, 3 in Canada, 1 in USA-Canada, 2 in Japan, 1 in Germany, 1 in Nigeria, 2 in Pakistan, 1 in Saudi Arabia, and 1 from the collaboration between Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Barriers to Career Progression of Women in Surgery and Solutions to Improve Them

et al. 2022

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Objective: This study aims to summarize the evidence concerning the barriers that exist to the career progression of women in surgery and to provide potential solutions to overcome these obstacles. Background: Visible and invisible impediments can hinder female doctors’ pursuit of a surgical career, from choosing a surgical specialty to training opportunities and all the way through career progression. Methods: Database search of original studies about barriers for female surgeons during choice of surgical career, residency, and career progression. A query including possible solutions such as mentorship and network was included. Results: Of 4618 total articles; 4497 were excluded as duplicates, having incorrect study focus, or not being original studies; leaving 120 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Of the articles included, 22 (18%) focused on factors affecting the pursuit of a surgical career, such as surgical work hours and limited time for outside interests, 55 (46%) analyzed the main barriers that exist during surgical residency and fellowship training, such as discrimination and sexual harassment, 27 (23%) focused on barriers to career advancement, heavy workloads, ineffective mentorship, unclear expectations for advancement, inequality in pay or work-home conflicts. Among studies reporting on possible solutions, 8 (6.5%) articles reported on the role of effective mentorship to support career advancement and to provide moral support and 8 (6.5%) on the emerging role of social media for networking. Our analysis showed how different impediments hinder surgical career progression for women, with notable consequences on burnout and attrition. Conclusions: Identification and recognition of obstacles to career progression is the first step to addressing the gender gap in surgery. Active strategies should be improved to promote a culture of diversity and to create equal opportunity for women in surgery, while implementing structured mentoring programs and investing on an adequate communication on social media to engage the future generations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Barriers to Career Progression of Women in Surgery and Solutions to Improve Them

et al. 2022

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“…LMIC women shared more instances of blatant gender discrimination during these interactions than HIC women. Although we did not ask participants to stratify the most common sources of gender discrimination/bias, a prior study comparing the experiences of Pakistani female surgeons to HIC female surgeons found that the most common sources of gender bias/discrimination were coresidents (73.9%), consultants (73.9%), and nurses/OR staff (58.7%) 9 . Overall, our findings suggest that female otolaryngologists, regardless of career stage and setting, face significant microaggressions in their day‐to‐day interactions with patients and allied health staff.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Major themes previously identified in the literature on gender inequalities served as a basis for the interview questions. [3][4][5]9,[11][12][13] Table I illustrates the questions utilized in this study. Interviews were conducted via video teleconferencing.…”

Section: Data Collection and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Disparities in Otolaryngology: A Case Report Reflecting Global Perspectives

et al. 2022

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Objectives To explore the impact of female sex on the experiences of trainees and surgeons in otolaryngology from LMIC and HIC. Methods This study includes perspectives of five consultants and two resident physicians from the United States, United Kingdom, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. Results Six themes emerged from these interviews. Overall, LMIC and HIC women shared similar experiences of microaggressions during patients, working along ancillary staff, related to pregnancy, imposter syndrome, difficulties during job search, and unique barriers as consultant. Conclusions The findings of this study highlight that gender disparities are present at all levels in Otolaryngology but can present differently depending on context. Laryngoscope, 133:547–551, 2023

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“…In addition, given frequent occurrences of physical aggression from patients or attendants [ 17 ], particularly during the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic [ 18 , 19 ], many aspiring women surgeons in Pakistan are deterred from pursuing a surgical career due to the threat of aggressive behavior [ 20 ]. Even as surgical faculty, women in Pakistan still face hindrances to progression up the academic hierarchy, with sex-based biases in the workplace affecting most aspects of their careers, including promotion opportunities and access to leadership positions [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex‐based Disparities Among Surgical Faculty Positions Across Medical Colleges in Pakistan

et al. 2023

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Introduction Despite women being under-represented in academic surgery, there is no publicly accessible repository describing the distribution of surgeons by sex and specialty in Pakistan. This short report aims to fulfill this gap by describing female representation across surgical faculty positions in medical colleges across Pakistan. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 across medical universities in Pakistan. A dual mode of data collection was employed, whereby data regarding sex, academic designation, and subspecialty of surgical faculty was retrieved via emails to representative faculty from medical colleges, and from medical colleges’ websites. Results A total of 97/114 (85.1%) medical colleges across Pakistan were included, providing us with data of 2070 surgical faculty. Overall, only 10.3% of surgical faculty were women, with women comprising 14.1% of assistant professors, 9.3% of associate professors, and only 5.7% of professors. Most women surgical faculty were assistant professors (63.1%), with only 17.8% being professors. Sindh (14.3%) and Punjab (9.7%) had the greatest percentage of women across surgical faculty overall, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the lowest (6.5%). Apart from breast surgery (100%), pediatric surgery (29.4%), ophthalmology (15.0%) and general surgery (11.6%), women did not represent more than 10% of surgical faculty for any surgical subspecialty. Conclusion In Pakistan, there is a blatant lack of female representation across all faculty positions and in most surgical specialties, with imbalances more pronounced in the relatively under-developed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. These sex disparities may aggravate the surgical disease burden and adversely impact surgical prospects for women across the country.

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Factors Affecting Women Surgeons’ Careers in Low–Middle‐Income Countries: An International Survey

Cited by 22 publications

References 26 publications

Early Barriers to Career Progression of Women in Surgery and Solutions to Improve Them

Early Barriers to Career Progression of Women in Surgery and Solutions to Improve Them

Gender Disparities in Otolaryngology: A Case Report Reflecting Global Perspectives

Sex‐based Disparities Among Surgical Faculty Positions Across Medical Colleges in Pakistan

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