03 Sep Poor Work/Life Balance Cited As Main Reason For Few Female Surgeons

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Miss Hui-Ling Kerr
SpR Trauma and Orthopaedics
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic
Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Gender inequality at consultant level in surgery has not improved despite greater opportunities for women and only a small proportion of women apply to become surgical trainees.

We wanted to find out if the lack of female surgical role models acted as a deterrent to first year female junior doctors and final year medical students towards a career in surgery.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: We found that significantly fewer first year doctors compared to final year medical students were interested in a career in surgery. The majority stated that poor work/life balance was the main deterrent. With other important reasons including the nature of the work and a perceived old boys club mentality.

The majority from each group had encountered a female surgical role model but few respondents felt that they were an influencing factor on their career decisions.

15% of the medical students and 18% of the first year doctors felt they had experienced sexual discrimination in the surgical workplace. Some of the sexist comments experienced by these female medics are documented in the paper.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Gender inequality in surgery will continue until the perceptions around work life balance change. Greater visible support for female surgical doctors trying to balance work and family life must continue if we want to attract female doctors to the profession.

Sexual discrimination towards junior female doctors still exists and must be discouraged if we are to encourage women to consider surgery a real career option.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: We recommend further studies to determine what approaches hospital institutions are using to attract female junior doctors to surgery and their effect on the perceptions of female junior doctors towards a career in surgery.

We also recommend further studies to determine the reporting rates of sexual discrimination in the surgical workplace and the response of hospital institutions towards this.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: We need to guard against sexual discrimination in the workplace because it still occurs. An article published this week in the BMJ (‘No room for complacency in UK surgery.’ McNally S. BMJ 2016; 354: i4682) recognizes that this is important and that a lack of visible role models may discourage women from surgery. Our study sought to look at this question, and it would appear that it is important to have role models of either gender rather then a female role model specifically. However if sexual discrimination occurs in surgery, then female junior doctors are unlikely to be drawn to a surgical career and female surgical trainees will be less likely to become consultant surgeons and NHS leaders.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Kerr H, Armstrong LA, Cade JE
Barriers to becoming a female surgeon and the influence of female surgical role models
Postgraduate Medical Journal Published Online First: 15 August 2016. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2015-133273

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com

[wysija_form id=”5″]

Last Updated on September 3, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD