Does a Surgical Career Affect a Woman's Childbearing and Fertility? A Report on Pregnancy and Fertility Trends among Female Surgeons

AbstractObjectivesWorldwide, not only the number of female medical students, but also of female surgeons increases. Simultaneously, younger generations take a closer look to their work-life balance. With this in mind, it seems necessary to evaluate the expectations of female surgeons in particular with respect to pregnancy during their surgical career.MethodsTherefore, a nationwide survey was conducted in Germany from July to December 2016 under the auspices of the German Society of Surgery as well as the Professional Board of German Surgeons. The questionnaire involved 2,294 female surgeons and 1,843 complete records were evaluated.ResultsOf the analyzed answers, 62% of the women (n=781) were operating during pregnancy. The joy of surgery (91.6%), followed by team spirit (57.1%), were the main motivations to perform operations while pregnant. Operative activity decreased from 30.8% in the first 3 months of pregnancy to 21.5% during the last three months. Regarding the possible complaints, e.g., leg edema, back pain, premature labor and vaginal bleeding, there were no significant differences between the women with or without activity in the operating room. Sick leave due to pregnancy (1–10 days) was stated by 40.4% of respondents.ConclusionDespite strong legal regulations for pregnant surgeons, the survey showed that most female surgeons are eager to operate despite their pregnancy. The results also demonstrate no significant differences regarding complications during pregnancy- or pregnant-dependent absence from work. Hospitals and surgical departments are asked to establish proper working conditions for pregnant surgeons and pregnancy should not be an obstacle for a career in surgery.

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Role Models as a Factor Influencing Career Choice Among Female Surgical Residents inSaudi Arabia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1021470/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rawan Harun ◽

Reem Almustafa ◽

Zainab AlKhalifah ◽

Abdullah Namazi ◽

Abdalmohsen Albaqami ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Career Choice ◽

Role Models ◽

Role Model ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Medical Field ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Surgical Residents ◽

Surgical Career ◽

Female Surgeons

Abstract Background and purposeRole models in the medical field are professional and experienced persons whose actions unconsciously inspire juniors to strive to be like them. To our knowledge, no studies have examined whether having a female surgical role model has influenced women to pursue a surgical career in Saudi Arabia. Hence, we sought to evaluate the effect of having a female surgical role model and the presence of female surgeons on female surgical residents and their choice of surgery as a career.MethodsWe employed a cross-sectional, survey- based study design, conducted between June 2020 and January 2021, in which female surgical residents completed a questionnaire on their perceptions and influence of role models in general surgery specialty at the time they pursuit a career in surgery.ResultsA total of 51 respondents (78.5%) completed the questionnaire. The majority of them (78.4%) had a role model and (19.6%) indicated that their role model was a female. Of those who had a role model, (67.5%) agreed that they had a positive influence on their surgical career choice. Clinical and operation skills were reported as the most important factor to be considered about role models. Working directly with a male surgical consultant and female surgical residents left a positive influence but this did not reach a statistical significance.ConclusionPersonal exposure to role models can have a positive influence on female surgical residents in choosing a surgical career. provide a appropriate role models as well as formal mentorship programs are warranted, that would allow female trainees to interact with senior surgeon mentors, thereby drawing attention to the field of surgery.

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The Female Pediatric Surgeon

European Journal of Pediatric Surgery ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1602251 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (03) ◽

pp. 228-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Carmen Dingemann

Keyword(s):

Leadership Development ◽

Role Models ◽

Parental Leave ◽

Medical Profession ◽

Gender Disparities ◽

Men And Women ◽

Academic Surgery ◽

Surgical Career ◽

Female Surgeons ◽

Underrepresentation Of Women

AbstractIn medical schools throughout Europe, women make up an increasing proportion of graduates entering the medical profession. Even though this phenomenon is also found in the surgical profession, women are still clearly underrepresented. However, it has been demonstrated that women are equally qualified as men, and are as eager as men to aim for a surgical career.In general, a career in surgery has significant lifestyle implications for both men and women. In particular, women meet challenges such as pregnancy, maternity, and responsibility for childcare that compete with pressures of time and expectations of productivity. Further complicating the situation, there is a huge complexity of national legislation dealing with maternity and parental leave within Europe. Owing to this legal inconsistency, a strong demand on targeted policies and guidelines has increased particularly among the surgical staff.The scarcity of female role models and mentors has also been discussed as a possible explanation for the underrepresentation of women in academic surgery. Even in the 21st century, the advancement of women into leading positions of academic surgery and major surgical societies is still limited. An updated view of leadership development, the promotion of female surgeons in academic surgery, and identifying barriers to women entering this field are crucial to correcting the existing gender inequities.This contribution aims to highlight the current situation of women in academic surgery, outline findings on gender disparities, and define persistent obstacles to the advancement of women in surgery. In addition, this review presents new possibilities and provides approaches to overcome the underrepresentation of female surgeons. In current literature, there is only little information concerning the situation of female pediatric surgeons. Therefore, this article mainly relies on available data on the female surgeon in general.

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Women in surgery: a web-based survey on career strategies and career satisfaction

Innovative Surgical Sciences ◽

10.1515/iss-2019-0016 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1-2) ◽

pp. 11-19

Author(s):

Sonia Radunz ◽

Hülya Pustu ◽

Katja Marx ◽

Laura Mazilescu ◽

Agnes Braun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surgical Training ◽

Federal State ◽

Leadership Positions ◽

Surgical Specialty ◽

Web Based ◽

Survey Tool ◽

Female Head ◽

Surgical Career ◽

Professional Self ◽

Female Surgeons

AbstractWomen represent the majority of medical students in several countries. In any surgical specialty and above all in surgical leadership positions, women still remain disproportionally underrepresented. The objective of this study was to investigate female surgeons’ career advancement and satisfaction with training. A standardized questionnaire was devised and sent out via the web-based survey tool SurveyMonkey® to female surgeons in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A total of 125 completed questionnaires were analyzed (response rate 40.8%). Female surgeons are at least largely (76%) satisfied with their surgical training. Increased time (>5 h/week) as the principal surgeon in the operating room significantly stimulates the satisfaction with the surgical training (86% vs. 68%, p = 0.0384). At the participants’ current workplace, the heads of departments are predominantly male surgeons (91%). Respondents not satisfied with their surgical training prefer a female head of department more frequently (24% vs. 2%, p = 0.0085). The majority of the respondents themselves aspire to become a consultant surgeon (56%), while only 12% intend to become a head of a department. Female surgeons aiming at leadership positions work overtime (≥50 h/week) significantly more frequently (81% vs. 57%, p = 0.0041). Favoritism of male colleagues is perceived by 34%. Respondents who do not perceive any preferential treatment are significantly more satisfied with their surgical training (88% vs. 57%, p = 0.0004). In conclusion, female surgeons seem positive about their career choice, once in the surgical profession, and aptly fill upcoming positions. Women interested in surgery are likely to pursue a surgical career despite the alleged workload, demonstrating the importance of professional self-fulfillment among female surgeons.

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German Fertility Trends, 1933-39

American Journal of Sociology ◽

10.1086/218563 ◽

1940 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 150-167

Author(s):

Conrad Taeuber ◽

Irene B. Taeuber

Keyword(s):

Fertility Trends

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Biographic Characteristics and Factors Perceived as Affecting Female and Male Careers in Academic Surgery: The Tenured Gender Battle to Make It to the Top

European Surgical Research ◽

10.1159/000446874 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 57 (3-4) ◽

pp. 139-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laura Schwarz ◽

Sonia Sippel ◽

Andrew Entwistle ◽

Anna Kathrin Hell ◽

Sarah Koenig

Keyword(s):

Career Guidance ◽

Work Satisfaction ◽

Attrition Rate ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Professional Career ◽

Academic Surgery ◽

Female Surgeons ◽

High Degree

Purpose: Given the high attrition rate in the field of academic surgery, we aimed to characterise the professional and personal situations of female and male academic surgeons as well as to gather data on their respective perceptions of career advancement and work satisfaction. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Germany, inviting all identifiable academically highly qualified female surgeons and their male counterparts in a 1:2 ratio to participate. An anonymous 103-item online questionnaire was designed and the data collected between July and September 2014. Results: The questionnaire was sent to 93 female and 200 male surgeons, of whom 63 women (67.7%) and 70 men (35.0%) replied. The average age was 47.5 and 47.1 years, respectively. Respondents identified ‘high degree of expertise', ‘ambition', and ‘clarity of one's professional aims' as important factors affecting professional career development. Both groups felt ‘workload', ‘working hours/shifts', and ‘gender' to be a hindrance, the latter of significantly greater importance to female surgeons. The mean work satisfaction scores were high in both female (69.5%) and male (75.7%) surgeons. The predictors ‘support from superiors' (standardised β coefficient = 0.41) and ‘manual aptitude' (β = 0.41) contributed incrementally to the variance in ‘high degree of work satisfaction' (90-100%) observed for female surgeons. However, childcare provided by ‘kindergarten/crèche/after-school care' had the greatest negative predictive value (β = -1.33). Conclusions: Although there are many parallels, female faculty members experience the culture of academic surgery to some extent differently from their male counterparts, especially when impacted by parenthood and childcare. Faculty development programmes need to develop strategies to improve perceived equality in career opportunities by respecting individuals' requirements as well as offering gender-appropriate career guidance.

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46 The Hidden Truth About Gender Bias in Surgery. A Systematic Review

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab134.112 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

C Wong ◽

W H Lim ◽

S R Jain ◽

C H Ng ◽

C H Tai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gender Equality ◽

Gender Discrimination ◽

Work Conditions ◽

Working Environment ◽

Data Synthesis ◽

Gender Barriers ◽

Retention Factors ◽

Full Text Review ◽

Female Surgeons ◽

Male Dominated

Abstract Introduction Gender discrimination remains pervasive in surgery, significantly impacting current and future surgeons and population health. This study analyses the gender barriers and critical retention factors for female surgeons and trainees in surgery. Method Five electronic databases were searched till May 2020. Titles and abstracts were sieved, followed by a full text review. Data synthesis and inductive thematic analysis were conducted using the Thomas and Harden methodology. Result 14 articles were included, involving 528 participants. Four themes were generated–unfavourable working environment, male-dominated culture, societal pressures and progress towards gender equality. Females in surgery often faced harassment, disrespect and perceptions of incompetence, resulting in hostile work conditions, which were aggravated by the inadequate support and mentorship. The persistence of male-dominated cultures was observed, with females facing prejudice and exclusion from professional and social circles. Differential treatment and higher expectations of female surgeons also arose from entrenched societal pressures. Despite these, increased acceptance of motherhood and greater recognition of contributions by female surgeons were reported, indicating some progress in gendered culture. Conclusions There is a need to increase female surgical leadership and allocate resources to address the deep-rooted causes of biased surgical culture and ingrained perceptions, to achieve greater gender equality in surgery.

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Involvement of medical students in a surgery congress: impact on learning motivation, decision-making for a career in surgery, and educational curriculum

Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift ◽

10.1007/s10354-020-00802-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ibrahim Alkatout ◽

Veronika Günther ◽

Sandra Brügge ◽

Johannes Ackermann ◽

Magret Krüger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Medical Students ◽

Medical Curriculum ◽

Learning Motivation ◽

Educational Curriculum ◽

Active Involvement ◽

Surgical Career ◽

Second Year ◽

Digital Surgery ◽

The Impact

SummaryDuring the preclinical period of medical school, the clinical relevance of theoretical knowledge is given little attention. Medical students of the second year were invited to participate in an interdisciplinary congress for robot-assisted and digital surgery. The students had to evaluate the impact of the congress on their learning motivation, decision-making for a career in surgery, and relevance for their educational curriculum. Participation in the congress increased their learning motivation for preclinical subjects, and significantly increased their interest in a surgical career. Most students considered active involvement in medical congresses a valuable supplement to the medical curriculum. Congress participation during the preclinical period was ranked positively by medical students. Greater learning motivation and enthusiasm for the pilot teaching project as well as for surgical disciplines were registered. Thus, early involvement of medical students in scientific congresses should be an integral part of their educational curriculum.

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