Gender Differences Between Male and Female Neurosurgeons: Is There Equality for All?

Gadjradj, Pravesh S.; Matawlie, Roshni H.S.; Voigt, Ishitari; Harhangi, Biswadjiet S.; Vleggeert-Lankamp, Carmen

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2019.11.178

Cited by 42 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…A similar disparity has been previously demonstrated in other medical specialties. 14,[18][19][20][21] A significantly greater proportion of females than males in our survey agreed with the statement "It is more difficult for female than male neurointerventionalists to have both a fulfilled career and family life." Around the world, women are still disproportionately the main caregivers of children and other family members.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…20 This results in women delaying childbearing and have fewer children. 14,23 In our survey, of the female neurointerventionalists that were pregnant during their career, 81% had worried to some degree about "breaking the news" to their supervisor or colleagues, and a significant 30% felt that knowledge of their pregnancy was not handled professionally. In a recent survey, the main reasons identified by female IRs for difficulty combining family life and career included pregnancies slowing career progress, having more domestic responsibilities, and being on call with long working hours.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Women in neurointervention, a gender gap? Results of a prospective online survey

Power

Biondi

Saatçi³

et al. 2021

Interv Neuroradiol

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Background and Purpose Women's representation in medicine has increased over time yet the proportion of women practicing neurointervention remains low. We conducted an anonymous online survey through which we could explore the gender gap in neurointervention, identify potential issues, difficulties, or obstacles women might face, and evaluate if men encounter similar issues. Methods An online questionnaire was designed in SurveyMonkey®. Invitation to participate was emailed through national and international neurointerventional societies as well as directly through private mailing lists to men and women working in neurointervention. Responses were collected from 10 May 2019 to 10 September 2019. Results There were 295 complete responses, 173 (59%) male and 122 (41%) female. Most respondents (83%) fell within age categories 35–60 years, with representation from 40 countries across five continents. In all 95% were working full time, 73% had worked as a neurointerventionalist for >6 years, 77% worked in University-affiliated teaching institutions. Almost half of the respondents indicated no female neurointerventionalist worked in their center. Female respondents were younger and age-adjusted analysis was undertaken. Significantly fewer females than males were married and had children. Significantly fewer females held supervisory roles, held academic titles, and significantly less had a mentor. Females were less satisfied in their careers. More females felt they receive less recognition than colleagues of the opposite sex. Males had a greater proportion of work time dedicated to neurointervention. Similar proportions of both genders experienced bullying in work (40%–47%); however, sexual harassment was more common for females. There were no differences between genders in how they dealt with complications or their effects on mental well-being. Conclusion There are many potential reasons why women are underrepresented in neurointervention, however, the literature suggests this is not unique to our specialty. Multiple long-term strategies will be necessary to address these issues, some of which are discussed in the article.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Women in neurointervention, a gender gap? Results of a prospective online survey

Power

Biondi

Saatçi³

et al. 2021

Interv Neuroradiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Gadjradj et al surveyed 870 members of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and found that female neurosurgeons rated their career fulfillment as significantly worse than did their male colleagues, despite having similar work hours, days worked per week, and current gross salary. 8 Female respondents were also less likely to be married and to have children than their male counterparts. 8 In fact, a survey conducted on women who left their neurosurgical positions in Japan showed that the majority left due to difficulty balancing their neurosurgical career and motherhood (52%).…”

Section: Contributing Factorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…8 Female respondents were also less likely to be married and to have children than their male counterparts. 8 In fact, a survey conducted on women who left their neurosurgical positions in Japan showed that the majority left due to difficulty balancing their neurosurgical career and motherhood (52%). 9 Even early in their training, female medical students whose culture or religion emphasized the importance of women in child-rearing were found to be less likely to consider entering neurosurgery, according to a survey from a single institution in the United States.…”

Section: Contributing Factorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Women neurosurgeons around the world: a systematic review

Lulla

Hansen

Smith

et al. 2021

Neurosurgical Focus

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OBJECTIVEGender disparities in neurosurgery have persisted even as the number of female medical students in many countries has risen. An understanding of the current gender distribution of neurosurgeons around the world and the possible factors contributing to country-specific gender disparities is an important step in improving gender equity in the field.METHODSThe authors performed a systematic review of studies pertaining to women in neurosurgery. Papers listed in PubMed in the English language were collected. A modified grounded theory approach was utilized to systematically identify and code factors noted to contribute to gender disparities in neurosurgery. Statistical analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows.RESULTSThe authors identified 39 studies describing the density of women neurosurgeons in particular regions, 18 of which documented the proportion of practicing female neurosurgeons in a single or in multiple countries. The majority of these studies were published within the last 5 years. Eight factors contributing to gender disparity were identified, including conference representation, the proverbial glass ceiling, lifestyle, mentoring, discrimination, interest, salary, and physical burden.CONCLUSIONSThe topic of women in neurosurgery has received considerable global scholarly attention. The worldwide proportion of female neurosurgeons varies by region and country. Mentorship was the most frequently cited factor contributing to noted gender differences, with lifestyle, the glass ceiling, and discrimination also frequently mentioned. Future studies are necessary to assess the influence of country-specific sociopolitical factors that push and pull individuals of all backgrounds to enter this field.

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“…Perhaps of most concern, approximately 40% of female surgeons considered leaving surgical residency, and 30% said that would discourage female medical students from opting for a surgical career [28]. Among neurosurgeons without children, long work hours were ranked as first by the majority of the respondents for not having children, followed by lack of partner support [29].…”

Section: Gender Disparitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sticky Floor, Broken Ladder, and Glass Ceiling: Gender and Racial Trends Among Neurosurgery Residents

Maqsood¹,

Younus²,

Sattar³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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IntroductionDiversity and equity in academic medicine are critically important in improving healthcare standards and patient-related outcomes. Gender and racial disparities are some major challenges faced by the health system. This article reviews the gender and racial trends among residents of neurosurgery in the United States (US). MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the data extracted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)'s annual Data Resource Books from 2007 to 2019. ACGME cataloged gender as men and women and race/ethnicity was categorized as White/non-Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Island, Hispanic, Black/non-Hispanic, Native American/Alaskan, others, and unknown. Counts, proportions, relative, and absolute percentage changes were calculated to highlight trends in resident appointments over time and across the specialty of neurosurgery. ResultsThe number of female residents increased steadily from 10.6% in 2007 to 19.3% in 2019; with an absolute increase of 8.74%, a relative increase of 63.9%, and a simultaneous decrease in male residents. When averaged across the nine-year study period, 51% of the study sample was White (non-Hispanic), followed by Asian/Pacific Islanders at 15.2%. The representation of Hispanics was 4.3%, Black/African Americans were 4.5%, Native Americans/Alaskans were 0.2%, and others were 8% of the total study population. ConclusionOur study concludes that gender and racial disparity persist within the neurosurgery residency training programs in the US. Concrete efforts at all academic levels are needed to provide greater support for the females and for the careers of underrepresented minority (URM) trainees to ensure their increased representation in neurosurgery.

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Gender Differences Between Male and Female Neurosurgeons: Is There Equality for All?

Cited by 42 publications

References 11 publications

Women in neurointervention, a gender gap? Results of a prospective online survey

Women in neurointervention, a gender gap? Results of a prospective online survey

Women neurosurgeons around the world: a systematic review

Sticky Floor, Broken Ladder, and Glass Ceiling: Gender and Racial Trends Among Neurosurgery Residents

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