More than half of female surgeons in the UK have faced or witnessed discrimination in the workplace, according to a confidential online poll.
Orthopaedics was seen as the most sexist of all the surgical specialties, the responses showed.
Half of respondents complained that a career in surgery was incompatible with motherhood and childcare commitments, and researchers highlighted how discrepancies in parental leave entitlement and a “lack of support” was contributing to “burn out”.
Despite women making up over half of medical school entrants in the UK, less than a third opt for a career in surgery, which is widely acknowledged to be a male-dominated environment.
But few studies have looked at the way in which women feel their male surgical colleagues perceive them.
The research, published in BMJ Open, was carried out by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) via their women in surgery Facebook and Twitter pages. The anonymous survey was carried out over two weeks in October 2017, attracting 81 responses.
The responses identified several perceived barriers to a surgical career for women, including poor work-life balance, inflexibility over part-time careers, gender stereotyping, and lack of formal mentorship.
Most respondents (88%) felt that surgery remains male-dominated, with nearly six out of 10 (59%) reporting or witnessing discrimination against women in the workplace.
And around one in five (22%) felt that there was a “tangible glass ceiling,” with an overriding feeling that the working culture is geared to men.
Orthopaedics was seen as the most sexist of the surgical specialties (53%), followed by cardiothoracic (16%) and general surgery (13%).
Half of the respondents agreed that motherhood and childcare commitments are the greatest obstacles for women wanting a career in surgery.
There is existing support for mothers working in surgery, but women are “presumed to de-skill during maternity leave and are discouraged from working part time,” say the researchers.
The study is based on a small online survey, so might not be representative of the female surgical workforce, say the authors.
However, the authors add that the poll “illuminates the lived realities of female surgeons in the UK today”.
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