ArticleBMJ open2019
A woman's place is in theatre: women's perceptions and experiences of working in surgery from the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland women in surgery working group.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of mentoring in trauma and orthopaedic training: a systematic review.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2022Pooled it
- Competition and equity in NHS specialty training, 2021-2024: longitudinal cohort analysis of protected-characteristic outcomes.Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine · 2026Article
- Contemporary challenges for a curriculum to foster interest in surgical careers: a multicentric study on the evolving needs of female medical students to consider a career as a surgeon in Germany.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Surgery as a greedy job: The valorization of the worker's professionalism for women in surgery.Surgery open science · 2026Review
- Article
- Is there a lack of equity, diversity and inclusion in orthopaedic education? - A systematic review.Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma · 2025Article
- Using Hofstede's framework to explore surgical cultures and their impact on female surgeons.Medical education · 2025Article
- Evaluation of gender bias in thoracic surgery in Türkiye: A descriptive study.Turk gogus kalp damar cerrahisi dergisi · 2025Article
- A questionnaire on the perception of social and academic discrimination against female general surgeons in Türkiye.Turkish journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Women in cardiac surgery: a global workforce analysis.European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery · 2024Article
- Laparoscopic training should be equitable for all: the impact of a mandatory, cost-neutral simulation training programme incorporating a free take-home box trainer.Facts, views & vision in ObGyn · 2024Article
- Still Higher Risk for Burnout and Low Work Engagement Among Female Residents After 10 Years of Demographic Feminisation.Medical science educator · 2024Article
- A census of general surgery consultants in England and Wales: implications for the current and future surgical workforce.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2024Observational
- Gender diversity in pediatric surgery: academic ranks and scholarly productivity amongst pediatric surgeons.Frontiers in surgery · 2024Article
- Attitudes toward and exposure to gender discrimination in work life by pulmonologists and thoracic surgeons: a questionnaire-based survey among Turkish thoracic society members.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- 'No One Has Taught Us to Have It All': Reflections from Women on the Gender-Based Challenges in Surgical Careers in Africa.The East African health research journal · 2024Article
- Pregnancy and parenthood in surgical training: a cross-sectional survey in the UK.The British journal of surgery · 2023Article
- The degree of satisfaction and level of learning in male and female surgical residents: a nationwide questionnaire survey of graduating residents in Japan.Surgery today · 2023Article
- Observational
- Women in Orthopaedics: A Perspective from Malaysian Female Orthopaedic Surgeons.Malaysian orthopaedic journal · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveSurgery remains an inherently male-dominated profession. The aim of this study was to survey women working within the discipline, to understand their current perceptions, providing insight into their practical day-to-day lives, supporting an action-oriented change. DESIGN AND
settingThe link to a confidential, online survey was distributed through the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) social media platforms on Facebook and Twitter over a 2-week period in October 2017.
participantsWomen working in surgical specialties and actively responding to the link shared through the ASGBI social media platforms. No patients were involved in the study. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were analysed through a mixed-methods approach. The quantitative data were analysed through descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis was undertaken using a constant comparative analysis of the participants' comments, to identify salient patterns (themes).
resultsA total of 81 female participants replied (42% response rate based on the Facebook group members), with 88% (n=71) perceiving surgery as a male-dominated field. Over half had experienced discrimination (59%, n=47), while 22% (n=18) perceived a 'glass ceiling' in surgical training. Orthopaedics was reported as the most sexist surgical specialty by 53% (n=43). Accounts of gendered language in the workplace were reported by 59% (n=47), with 32% (n=25) of surveys participants having used it. Overall, a lack of formal mentorship, inflexibility towards part-time careers, gender stereotypes and poor work-life balance were the main perceived barriers for women in surgical careers.
conclusionThese findings highlight the implicit nature of the perceived discrimination that women report in their surgical careers. The ASGBI acknowledges these perceptual issues and relative implications as the first of many steps to create an action-oriented change by allowing all staff, regardless of gender, to reflect on their own behaviour, perceptions and the culture in which they work.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.