Gender Disparity in Leadership Positions of General Surgical Societies in North America, Europe, and Oceania

Abstract

Background Despite the number of female medical-school applicants reaching an all-time high and the increasing number of females in surgical training, males retain an overwhelming majority in senior surgical academic positions and formal leadership positions. This study aims to better understand the extent of and influences for gender disparity in general surgical societies throughout North America, Europe, and Oceania. Methods Data collection for this retrospective cross-sectional study took place between June and December 2017. Committee and subcommittee members from the eight selected general surgical societies that met the inclusion criteria (n = 311) were compiled into an Excel spreadsheet in which the data was recorded. Analyzed metrics included university academic ranking, surgical society leadership position, h-index, number of citations, and total publications. SCOPUS database (Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands) was used to generate author metrics, and STATA version 14.0 (StataCorp, College Station, TX) was used for statistical analysis. Results Overall, 83.28% of members of the entities we studied were male and 16.72% were females. Males had significantly higher representation than females in all societies (Pearson chi² = 29.081; p-value = 0.010). Females were underrepresented in all society leadership positions and university academic rankings. Male members had a higher median h-index, more number of citations, and more total publications. Conclusions The composition of the general surgical societies included in this study demonstrated significant gender disparity. Female inclusivity initiatives and policies must be initiated to promote greater research productivity and early career opportunities for female surgeons in the specialty of general surgery.

Keywords: academic productivity; gender disparity; general surgery; h-index; surgical societies.

Figure 1. Flow diagram of the data collection process

Figure 2. Overall gender proportions in general surgical societies in North America, Europe, and Oceania

The blue and red bars represent the male and female proportions, respectively. ASA: American Surgical Association; ASGS: American Society of General Surgeons; CAGS: Canadian Association of General Surgeons; ESA: European Surgical Association; ESSURG: European Society of Surgery; GSA: General Surgeons Australia; NZAGS: New Zealand Association of General Surgeons; UEMSSURG: European Union of Medical Specialists - Section of Surgery and European Board of Surgery