Pompili Cecilia, Costa Rita, Opitz Isabelle, Tsukazan Maria Teresa, Hugen Niek, Novoa Nuria, Blackmon Shanda, Seguin-Givelet Agathe, Antonoff Mara
Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Institute for Clinical and Applied Health Research, Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Hull, Hull, UK.
Interdiscip Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2024 Dec 3;39(6). doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivae196.
Women in our modern era are facing considerable challenges in the workplace, particularly in Cardiothoracic Surgery where women are under-represented in leadership and academic roles. Returning to work after parental leave may potentially uncover or exacerbate existing gender biases within the workplace, with important consequences on professional and personal lives. Our goal was to characterize the experiences and the impact of return-to-work after parenting on Thoracic Surgery careers across Europe.
All the participants of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting in 2023 were invited to complete this 32-item questionnaire. The survey was subsequently distributed through the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons social media platform from November to January 2024. A descriptive and specific group analysis was performed according to the distribution.
There were 152 participants, 92 of whom were female (61.0%) and 66 (43%) were between 31 and 40 years, constituting the most heavily represented age group. More women parents reported their role as the primary care provider of their child (89% vs 34%; P < 0.00001). Moreover, presence of in-hospital childcare facilities was evaluated as more important by women. Approximately half of the parent-respondents reported breastfeeding (42, 52%), but only 26% (11) of this group indicated having any type of flexible hours for breast-feeding. Compared to men, women more often agreed that parenting might affect their career (81% vs 53%; P = 0.040) and felt less supported by their employers when having children (45% vs 68%; P = 0.37).
This survey study identified main challenges to return to surgical work after parental leaves. Lack of structural or system-level support and limited resources for childcare and breastfeeding were considerably affecting women surgeons. Institutional initiatives for new parents and breast-feeding colleagues are crucial for supporting a diverse workforce, and any kind of discrimination derived from parental leaves should not be tolerated.
现代社会的女性在职场上面临着诸多挑战，尤其是在心胸外科领域，女性在领导和学术岗位上的代表性不足。休完育儿假重返工作岗位可能会揭示或加剧职场中现有的性别偏见，对职业和个人生活产生重要影响。我们的目标是描述欧洲各地育儿后重返工作岗位对胸外科职业生涯的经历和影响。
邀请了2023年欧洲胸外科医师协会年会的所有参会者填写这份包含32个条目的问卷。该调查随后于2024年11月至1月通过欧洲胸外科医师协会社交媒体平台进行分发。根据分布情况进行描述性和特定群体分析。
共有152名参与者，其中92名女性（61.0%），66名（43%）年龄在31至40岁之间，是人数最多的年龄组。更多有孩子的女性报告自己是孩子的主要照顾者（89%对34%；P < 0.00001）。此外，女性认为医院内托儿设施的存在更为重要。约一半有孩子的受访者报告进行母乳喂养（42人，52%），但该群体中只有26%（11人）表示有任何形式的灵活哺乳时间。与男性相比，女性更常认同育儿可能会影响她们的职业（81%对53%；P = 0.040），并且在生育孩子时感觉雇主给予的支持较少（45%对68%；P = 0.37）。
这项调查研究确定了育儿假后重返外科工作的主要挑战。缺乏结构或系统层面的支持以及托儿和母乳喂养资源有限对女外科医生有很大影响。针对新父母和母乳喂养同事的机构举措对于支持多样化的劳动力至关重要，任何因育儿假产生的歧视都不应被容忍。
