Introduction: The European meetings and exchange programmes for trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology have been held annually since 1992. During the exchange programme, trainees from all over Europe will visit training departments in obstetrics and gynaecology in the host country for a week. The exchange programmes allow us to experience different methods of training and practices of obstetrics and gynaecology, and usually give some lively input to the seminar on training matters that have traditionally been held on the last day of the exchange programme. The exchange also has a positive social impact on our speciality-friendships and professional bonds are made that can last a lifetime. The success of the 15th European Meeting and Exchange Programme of Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology was due to the hard work of two local trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology, Jordi Deu Martinez and Anabel Montero Armengol, in collaboration with the European Network of Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ENTOG) and Professor Luis Cabero Roura. The seminar was well attended by both trainers and trainees, with more than 80 participants from over 20 countries, also welcoming colleagues from countries previously absent from our European fora e.g. Turkey, Iceland, Romania and the Baltic States. We were particularly pleased to see the increasingly active and assertive participation of trainees in the discussions at the meeting; this year, most of the presentations were done by trainees, and it was generally felt that the quality of presentations was excellent. The role of gender in OB/GYN has been discussed informally in European fora for many years, mostly with a focus on the so-called problem of feminisation of the speciality. To our knowledge, there has not been a formal and structured discussion of the issue of gender since the ENTOG Seminar in Basel in 2000. We felt it was time to have a nuanced, balanced and evidence based -one might say academic -approach to the issue of gender, and we very much succeeded with the Barcelona seminar. With the introduction of an invited key note speaker we aimed to increase the impact of our seminar, and with the eminent lecture of Dr. Connie Wiskin we were introduced to the front line of contemporary studies in gender behaviour in medicine. We are very happy that Dr. Wiskin has accepted our invitation to summarize her lecture in a review paper in this issue of the ECOG.
From our discussions in Barcelona, it became clear that barriers and difficulties still exist for female colleagues to achieve specialization in OB/GYN and to obtain senior positions. Much still needs to be done to improve social conditions such as maternity leave, working hours and child care for professional mothers. It was also widely accepted that the contribution of both genders was necessary for the future of OB/GYN, and efforts should be made not to loose promising young male doctors to other specialities. As for recruitment in general, decreasing numbers of trainees enter the field of obstetrics and gynaecolog...