Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Department, Guy's and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Ann Surg. 2022 Aug 1;276(2):246-255. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005510. Epub 2022 Jul 4.
This study aims to summarize the evidence concerning the barriers that exist to the career progression of women in surgery and to provide potential solutions to overcome these obstacles.
Visible and invisible impediments can hinder female doctors' pursuit of a surgical career, from choosing a surgical specialty to training opportunities and all the way through career progression.
Database search of original studies about barriers for female surgeons during choice of surgical career, residency, and career progression. A query including possible solutions such as mentorship and network was included.
Of 4618 total articles; 4497 were excluded as duplicates, having incorrect study focus, or not being original studies; leaving 120 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Of the articles included, 22 (18%) focused on factors affecting the pursuit of a surgical career, such as surgical work hours and limited time for outside interests, 55 (46%) analyzed the main barriers that exist during surgical residency and fellowship training, such as discrimination and sexual harassment, 27 (23%) focused on barriers to career advancement, heavy workloads, ineffective mentorship, unclear expectations for advancement, inequality in pay or work-home conflicts. Among studies reporting on possible solutions, 8 (6.5%) articles reported on the role of effective mentorship to support career advancement and to provide moral support and 8 (6.5%) on the emerging role of social media for networking. Our analysis showed how different impediments hinder surgical career progression for women, with notable consequences on burnout and attrition.
Identification and recognition of obstacles to career progression is the first step to addressing the gender gap in surgery. Active strategies should be improved to promote a culture of diversity and to create equal opportunity for women in surgery, while implementing structured mentoring programs and investing on an adequate communication on social media to engage the future generations.
本研究旨在总结阻碍女性在外科职业发展的障碍，并提供克服这些障碍的潜在解决方案。
从选择外科专业到培训机会，再到职业发展，女性医生在追求外科职业生涯时会遇到明显和无形的障碍。
对选择外科职业生涯、住院医师和职业发展期间女性外科医生障碍的原始研究进行数据库检索。查询中包括指导和网络等可能的解决方案。
在 4618 篇文章中，4497 篇因重复、研究重点不正确或不是原始研究而被排除在外，仅 120 篇文章符合纳入标准。在纳入的文章中，22 篇（18%）关注影响追求外科职业的因素，如手术工作时间和对外兴趣的限制时间，55 篇（46%）分析了外科住院医师和专科培训期间存在的主要障碍，如歧视和性骚扰，27 篇（23%）关注职业发展、工作量大、指导无效、晋升期望不明确、薪酬不平等或工作与家庭冲突等障碍。在报告可能的解决方案的研究中，8 篇（6.5%）文章报告了有效指导在支持职业发展和提供精神支持方面的作用，8 篇（6.5%）文章报告了社交媒体在建立联系方面的新兴作用。我们的分析表明，不同的障碍如何阻碍女性的外科职业发展，对职业倦怠和流失有显著影响。
识别和认识职业发展障碍是解决外科领域性别差距的第一步。应加强积极策略，促进外科领域的多样性文化，并为女性创造平等机会，同时实施结构化指导计划，并投资于社交媒体上的适当沟通，以吸引未来的几代人。
