Cross-sectional analysis of women in neurosurgery: a Canadian perspective

Abstract

OBJECTIVEAlthough the past decades have seen a steady increase of women in medicine in general, women continue to represent a minority of the physician-training staff and workforce in neurosurgery in Canada and worldwide. As such, the aim of this study was to analyze the experiences of women faculty practicing neurosurgery across Canada to better understand and address the factors contributing to this disparity.METHODSA historical, cross-sectional, and mixed-method analysis of survey responses was performed using survey results obtained from women attending neurosurgeons across Canada. A web-based survey platform was utilized to collect responses. Quantitative analyses were performed on the responses from the study questionnaire, including summary and comparative statistics. Qualitative analyses of free-text responses were performed using axial and open coding.RESULTSA total of 19 of 31 respondents (61.3%) completed the survey. Positive enabling factors for career success included supportive colleagues and work environment (52.6%); academic accomplishments, including publications and advanced degrees (36.8%); and advanced fellowship training (47.4%). Perceived barriers reported included inequalities with regard to career advancement opportunities (57.8%), conflicting professional and personal interests (57.8%), and lack of mentorship (36.8%). Quantitative analyses demonstrated emerging themes of an increased need for women mentors as well as support and recognition of the contributions to career advancement of personal and family-related factors.CONCLUSIONSThis study represents, to the authors’ knowledge, the first analysis of factors influencing career success and satisfaction in women neurosurgeons across Canada. This study highlights several key factors contributing to the low representation of women in neurosurgery and identifies specific actionable items that can be addressed by training programs and institutions. In particular, female mentorship, opportunities for career advancement, and increased recognition and integration of personal and professional roles were highlighted as areas for future intervention. These findings will provide a framework for addressing these factors and improving the recruitment and retention of females in this specialty.

Women Neurosurgeons Worldwide: Characterizing the Global Female Neurosurgical Workforce

“…Neurosurgical workforce data were obtained for 210 nations through 42 included sources ( Supplemental Digital Content 2, Supplemental Table 1 , http://links.lww.com/NEU/E46). 1,17,18,22-61 A world map denoting total neurosurgeons per capita is shown in Figure 1. The color scale denotes countries in green if they have at least 1 neurosurgeon per 200 000 population as this has been described as the minimum requirement for essential neurosurgical workforce to address neurotrauma in low- and middle-income countries.…”

Scholarly Impact of Academic Ophthalmologists and Vision Scientists in Canada

“…Veilleux et al observed a similar trend at the Université de Montréal and Université Laval in their neurosurgery faculties and attributed this to cultures around staff recruitment at these institutions. 23 However, leadership among Canadian ophthalmology programs may be trending towards greater representation of women, considering that 4 out of Canada’s 15 centres (26%) currently have female Chairs.…”

A Scoping Review of Professionalism in Neurosurgery

“…There were 8 survey studies in the category of Diversity and Gender, all of which were focused on women in neurosurgery. [179][180][181][182][183][184][185][186] Several articles discussed the history of women in neurosurgery. [187][188][189] Lawson McLean and Johnson et al performed different analyses evaluating the representation of women neurosurgeons at national meetings in Germany and the United States.…”