Practice patterns and work environments that influence gender inequality among academic surgeons
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Read the article on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Article · Sep 2020 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Analysis of 51 pediatric surgeons over 15 years reveals significant gender disparities: female surgeons performed fewer cases annually, had less focused practices, and worked in smaller professional networks despite equal representation at major teaching hospitals. Findings suggest organizational-level barriers rather than individual factors drive gender inequality in academic surgery.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Background: Practice pattern and work environment differences may impact career advancement opportunities and contribute to the gender gap within highly competitive surgical specialties.
Methods: Using a 2000-2015 New York statewide dataset, we compared board-certified pediatric surgeons by specialist case volume and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), which quantifies surgeon focus within specialist case mix.
Results: 51 pediatric surgeons were analyzed for 461 surgeon-years. Female surgeons had lower case volume (159 cases/year versus 214, p < 0.01), lower shares of specialist cases (14.1% versus 16.7%, p = 0.04), and less focused practices (HHI 0.16 versus 0.20, p = 0.03). Female surgeons' networks had fewer colleagues (7.2 versus 12.1, p < 0.01), and lower annual total (388 versus 726, p < 0.01) and specialist case volume (83 versus 159, p < 0.01), even after accounting for career length. However, female surgeons performed more cases within their networks (49% versus 36%, p = 0.04) and worked at major teaching hospitals as often as men (76% versus 76%, p = 0.97).
Conclusion: The challenges that female surgeons face may be reflective of organizational inequities that necessitate intentional scrutiny and change.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.10.029