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NEWS 7
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NEWS 7
‘ We won ’ t see gender parity in our lifetime ’
Carmel Sparke IT will take eight generations , or more than 180 years , before the number of female orthopaedic and cardiothoracic surgeons is the same as their male colleagues , Australian researchers predict .
They calculated the expected number of years it would take to reach gender parity in nine surgical subspecialties , based on the current pace of women entering each field .
Their study found that paediatric surgery , where women accounted for 30 % of active surgeons in 2021 , would be the first to reach gender parity — but not for another 23 years .
In contrast , the orthopaedic subspecialty — where women made up only 5.5 % of active surgeons — would not reach gender parity for another 186 years or not until 2209 .
And for cardiothoracic surgery , it would be 184 years .
“ A steady increase in women has been observed in all surgical subspecialties in Australia and New Zealand over the past eight years ,” the study
Estimated time until parity is achieved in surgical subspecialties
• Orthopaedics : 186 years
• Cardiothoracic : 184 years
• Vascular : 80 years
• Neurosurgery : 78 years
• Urology : 72 years
• ENT : 49 years
• Plastics and reconstruction : 41 years
• General surgery : 32 years
• Paediatrics : 23 years
authors wrote in the ANZ Journal of Surgery .
“ However , estimates based on current trends suggest that gender parity is out of reach for the next eight generations in subspecialties such as cardiothoracic and orthopaedic surgery .”
For their study , Dr Vaite Graham , from Gold Coast University Hospital , and Dr Bharti Arora , from Mater Hospital Brisbane , reviewed workforce reports from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons from 2014 to 2021 .
They said a growing body of literature pointed to a “ leaky pipeline ” between medical school and specialty practice .
‘ Gender parity is out of reach for the next eight generations .’
— Dr Vaite Graham
Much of that literature pointed to the challenges of balancing the surgical lifestyle and family commitments .
“ Additional issues … include gender discrimination ; long , inflexible working hours ; unpredictable surgical lifestyle ; bullying and sexual harassment ; and lack of same-gender mentorship ,” the surgeons wrote . ANZ J Surg 2023 ; 17 Jul .