Differences in professional and personal lives between German female and male neurosurgeons - on behalf of the DGNC and EANS diversity committees.

Introduction: During the last two decades, the number of female neurosurgeons has increased, as has men's participation in childcare and household duties. Whether and to what extent professional and personal lives differ between male and female neurosurgeons in Germany remains unclear. Research question: This study investigates gender-specific differences in professional and personal lives among German neurosurgeons. Material and methods: An anonymous electronic 27-item questionnaire was distributed to all members of the German Neurosurgical Society (DGNC). Responses were stratified by gender and compared using Chi-square or Student's t-test. Results: Of 1558 neurosurgeons contacted, 290 (18.6 % response; 27.6 % female) participated (mean age 46.5 ± 11.4 years).Female neurosurgeons were more likely to be single than their male colleagues (24.7 % vs. 6.5 %, p < 0.001), and more frequently had no children (54.4 % vs. 20.7 %, p < 0.001). Among respondents with children, 85.7 % of female neurosurgeons had stayed off work for childcare, while 92.6 % of male neurosurgeons indicated that their spouses had stayed at home (p < 0.001). Regarding career progression: women had significantly longer average training times compared with their male colleagues (7.6 ± 2.1 vs. 6.7 ± 1.2 years, p = 0.003). They encountered greater challenges experiencing inequity at work more frequently (60.8 % vs. 34.5 %, p < 0.001) and had more frequently the perception of obtaining a lower surgical case volume (39.7 % vs. 74.0 %, p < 0.001). Discussion and conclusion: Professional and personal lives differ significantly between male and female neurosurgeons in Germany. A paradigm shift in gender role attitudes and institutional measures is required to foster equity and improve career development opportunities in neurosurgery.