Women in Surgery

Author: Anuja Mali

Keywords: women in medicine, women in surgery, gender bias, stereotypes

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish” – Michelle Obama.

History of women in surgery began over 150 years ago when a young woman diagnosed with uterine cancer confided in her friend, Elizabeth, that she would have been spared her worst suffering if her physician had been a woman. And this testament led Elizabeth to study medicine thus starting a revolution. Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, the very first reported woman to graduate from medical school in 1849 and pursue a career in surgery paved the way for women to practice medicine independently. Yet, the surgery specialty still seems to be dominated by men. This begs the question, why does this still hold true today? 

Women have made significant contributions to the field of surgery throughout history. The number of women entering the surgical field has significantly increased over the last few decades. Despite the increased ratio between female and male medical students, men still significantly outnumber women in a number of specialties, most notably in surgery. Currently over half of the medical students are women but less than half are applying to surgery. Surgery has traditionally been considered a very male-dominated specialty in spite of the increasing number of women that are graduating from different medical schools.

In North America, a survey of surgeons carried out at the turn of the century showed only 20.3% of surgeons were female. In fact, less than half of all the residents in surgical specialties are women.

Many times, female surgeons are frequently asked why they chose to be a surgeon. In my opinion, women are attracted to surgical careers for reasons similar to that of their male colleagues. I think it is not about becoming a surgeon, it is the prestige that comes with being a surgeon.

In 2005, in an invited editorial describing her experience as a woman in surgery, Jo Buyske, MD. wrote, "Most women surgeons in my era, and certainly those before have spent our careers being as sexually invisible as possible while attending to the business of learning and practicing surgery. The goal was to be accepted as a surgeon, not a woman surgeon".

Why are there so few women in surgery?

An article in the International Journal of Surgery Global Health noted that women can be subjected to gendered expectations about work-life balance and steered away from a career that could take time away from starting families and raising children. However, “lifestyle is not only a women's issue”. In surgery, many of these issues have been identified as pushing women away from engaging surgical practice. These include the perceptions that the quality of life amongst surgeons do not fit the burden that women bear of caregiving possibilities. Furthermore, surgical training programs are themselves considered to be demanding and competitive. For women who struggle with gendered perceptions of what women can and cannot do, this presents yet another barrier in pursuing a career in surgery. As a result, women are subject to a hidden higher standard to enter and thrive in the surgical field. This is despite the fact that research shows that “female doctors perform equally as well as their male peers on measures of medical knowledge, communication skills, professionalism, technical skills, practiced-based learning and clinical judgment”.

And even more troubling is that more women are leaving medicine due to lack of flexibility, less opportunities and feeling less supported. With the increasing number of women entering medicine but the stagnant number of women entering surgical practice, there is a clear signal for change. Change in some form is needed because allowing women in surgery to continue to experience the impact of gender bias is completely unfair and simply unacceptable. We can change that. Women belong everywhere in society and especially in healthcare. Female physicians have been linked to improved patient outcomes. Let’s make surgery a better profession: not just for women, but for everyone seeking to provide health care in an environment free from discrimination. We can change the system if only we are brave enough to stand for it.

 “Don’t let anybody tell you that being a woman or wanting to have a family or anything is a barrier. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to do, but it’s possible,” says Dr Bonne, MD.

About the author: Anuja Mali is a first year medical student who is aspiring to become a trauma surgeon. She is driven by a curiosity to understand human health especially in women! She is also passionate about academic research and can't wait to approach the clinical practice. (Instagram: @anujaamalii)