Women in Neurosurgery: Historical Path to Self-Segregation and Proposal for an Integrated Future

Frontiers in Surgery

article

F. Martinez¹  M. Emamhadi²  M. T. Pedro³  H. S. Shirwari⁴  F. Guedes⁵  I. D. Bhagavatula⁶  D. P. Shukla⁶  I. D. Bhat⁷  O. A. Ojo⁸  A. Tirsit⁹  M. E. Gonzales-Gonzales^1,10  F. Luna^1,11  T. Kretschmer^1,12  E. Benzel^1,13  B. Cappelletto^1,14  D. Garozzo^1,15  R. Rispoli^1,14  F. Graziano^1,16  R. M. Gerardi^1,17  A. Grotenhuis⁶  A. Jenkins^1,18  V. Sammons^1,19  M. Visocchi⁶  S. Pinazzo^2,20  R. Lima¹ 

[1] Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital de Clínicas;Brachial plexus and peripheral nerve injury center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences;Peripheral Nerve Unit, Department of Neurosurgery, BKH Günzburg at Ulm University;Department of Neurosurgery, Dawodzai Medical Complex, Jalalabad;Division of Neurosurgery, Gaffrée e Guinle University Hospital, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro;Department of Neurosurgery;Department of Neurosurgery, RV Astor Hospital Sarakki Jp Nagar;Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Lagos;Department of Neurosurgery, Addis Ababa University;Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara;Departament of Neurosurgery, Hospital Clínico Regional de Concepción, Universidad de Concepción. Concepcion;Dept. of Neurosurgery & Neurorestoration, Neurosurgical Intensive Care, Neurooncological Centre;Department of Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic;SOC Chirurgia Vertebro-Midollare, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale, Presidio Ospedaliero Universitario Santa Maria della Misericordia di Udine;Department of Neurosurgery, Mediclinic Parkview Hospital;Department of Neurosurgery, ARNAS Garibaldi Hospital;Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital;Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Victoria Infirmary;Department of Neurosurgery, North Shore Private Hospital;Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Maciel

关键词: women in neurosurgery;    gender discrimination;    gender equality;    female under-representation;    self-segregation;    medical education;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fsurg.2022.908540

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Despite the rising percentage of women accessing the medical profession over the last few decades, surgical specialties are still largely male-dominated; in particular, a remarkable gender disparity is evident in neurosurgery, where only 19% of practitioners are females. Although women may be reluctant to choose a challenging specialty like neurosurgery due to concerns around how to balance family and career, it must be admitted that prejudices against female neurosurgeons have been deeply rooted for long, prompting many to give up and switch track to less demanding subspecialties. Among those who have persisted, many, if not most, have experienced difficulties in career progression and received unequal treatment in comparison with their male counterparts. In 1989, a group of 8 female neurosurgeons founded Women in Neurosurgery (WINS), an organization that aimed to guarantee inclusivity in neurosurgery, encouraging a better and more egalitarian working environment. Thereafter, WINS sessions were regularly promoted at international conferences, offering female neurosurgeons a platform to report issues related to gender discrimination. Over recent years, the mission of WINS sessions in national and international conferences has taken an unexpected deviation; they have progressively become supplementary scientific sessions with only women neurosurgeons as speakers, thus paving the road to a form of self-segregation. This tendency has also resulted in the establishment of sections of only female neurosurgeons within some national societies. Although there remains a faction that fiercely supports the WINS mindset of reserved spaces for women, such segregation is an upsetting prospect for those who believe that science and professionalism have no gender; a growing part of the global neurosurgical community believes that the conception of a “female neurosurgery” and a “male neurosurgery” is misguided and counterproductive and consider the existence of the WINS as anachronistic and no longer necessary.

【 授权许可】

CC BY