Why are there so few women in Surgery?
Why are There so Few Women in the Surgical Field?
Women have always been an integral part of the medical field in their informal roles as caregivers but only since the beginning of the twentieth century have women been provided with equal access to medical education. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), in recent years more than half of medical school students were female but just under one third of active physicians are women. Another AAMC report from 2017 shows that women make up less than one-quarter of ten surgical specialties. So far, the only medical field that has been dominated by women is gynecology and obstetrics, which is typically around 57% female.
Women in Orthopedics
In the orthopedic field in 2015, women represent just five percent of practicing orthopedic surgeons — the lowest percentage of any medical specialty. A study conducted by four orthopedic surgeons and published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in 2018 showed that female orthopedic surgery residents in the 2016–17 academic year were only 0.92% of all female residents.
So where are all the female medical students going? And why aren’t they a larger part of the surgical community when they have come so far?
Barriers to Women
Women who do become surgeons are often subjected to sexism and sexual harassment in the workplace. Their surgical skills can be called into question because of a perception that they lack the “strength” to perform certain surgeries. A study by the Annals of Surgery in April 2019 showed that acts of sexual harassment in training are often not reported. The combination of a demanding surgical position, discrimination, and sexual harassment has led many women to make the choice to pursue a career in fields other than surgery.
Women can also be deterred from pursuing surgical careers because of the “boys’ club” reputation of many specialties — something that’s particularly present in orthopedics. According to an article in the International Journal of Surgery Global Health in 2018, women have also been subjected to stereotypical gendered expectations regarding work life and how it may disrupt their social life balance. Motherhood is also seen by many as a huge barrier to becoming a surgeon. Consequently, women are often discouraged from pursuing surgical careers by their peers, partners, and families — even though studies have shown that “female doctors perform equally as well as their male peers on measures of medical knowledge, communication skills, professionalism, technical skills, practice-based learning and clinical judgment”.
All surgeons face a heavy workload, long and demanding hours, and an inflexible schedule. In addition, women often lack the support that men have from their families and have additional demands to contend with like formal parental and maternity leave.
Countering Institutional Limitations
Perhaps because women have faced so much discrimination in the surgical field, those who have worked so hard to overcome these barriers and become surgeons are working together to break the gender stereotypes and increase the surgical sector’s female population.
As one of the 6% female orthopedic surgeons nationwide, Dr. Vonda Wright is a prime example of a woman making a stand in her field. Dr. Wright has worked relentlessly to encourage women to join male dominated careers through her motivational speeches and championing their rise to leadership as surgeons, medical directors, and chiefs.
One of Dr. Wright’s valuable contributions to the medical world is Women’s Health Conversations, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization she established in 2013 to educate, empower and entertain a new generation of smart, savvy women. These women influence the health of everyone in their lives — and by providing a space where women can find information on a variety of health topics, Dr. Wright is helping these women transform our culture and eventually, our economy.