RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Historically, the structure of surgical programs discourages women interested in both surgery and motherhood from pursuing a surgical career, and women plastic surgeons have been more likely than men to have no children or to have fewer, later in life. Female plastic surgery trainees now constitute over one-third of residents, and pregnancy rates can be expected to rise, but with women now a majority in medical schools, the specialty's maternity policies may be deterring interested women from entering the specialty. A survey study was conducted to measure reproductive outcomes and to identify current disparities between women and men plastic surgeons. METHODS: An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to American Society of Plastic Surgeons members and candidates, allowing comparisons of men's and women's responses. Differences were tested by the Fisher's exact and chi-square tests. RESULTS: Compared with male respondents, women were more likely than men to have no biological children (45.1 percent versus 23.1 percent). They were nearly twice as likely to delay having children because of the demands of training (72.6 percent versus 39.2 percent) and to experience infertility (26.3 percent versus 12.5 percent). Among the childless plastic surgeons, women were 11 times more likely to say they did not want children compared with men (20.1 percent versus 1.8 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Poor institutional maternity support results in a persistent, wide gap in reproductive outcomes between female and male plastic surgeons. Establishing a universal, comprehensive parental support policy is essential to closing that gap.
Asunto(s)
Selección de Profesión , Relaciones Familiares , Médicos Mujeres/estadística & datos numéricos , Embarazo/estadística & datos numéricos , Cirugía Plástica/educación , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Edad Materna , Persona de Mediana Edad , Relaciones Madre-Hijo , Factores Sexuales , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Although the number of women becoming plastic surgeons has increased during the past six decades, in comparison with the current gender parity in medical schools, plastic surgery still attracts disproportionately more men. Previous studies have shown disparities in the professional and personal lives of female and male plastic surgeons. A survey study was conducted to identify current challenges women and men encounter in the pursuit of a plastic surgical career to guide remedial strategies. METHODS: An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to American Society of Plastic Surgeons members and candidates for comparison between sexes. Differences were tested by the Fisher's exact and chi-square tests. RESULTS: Women were more likely than men to have experienced sexism or bias. Women were less likely to be married; be satisfied with work-life balance; or feel recognized for ideas, authorship, promotions, or raises. Women felt that their sex was a disadvantage in career advancement, with one exception: unlike men, women felt many patients chose them because of their sex. Despite these challenges, over 80 percent of all plastic surgeons were satisfied with their choice of career. CONCLUSIONS: Traditions and gender bias create disparities in the personal and professional lives of female and male plastic surgeons. Our specialty must make concrete changes to promote all plastic surgeons, both women and men, to thrive personally and professionally.
Asunto(s)
Selección de Profesión , Movilidad Laboral , Satisfacción en el Trabajo , Médicos Mujeres/psicología , Sexismo , Cirujanos/psicología , Cirugía Plástica , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Médicos Mujeres/estadística & datos numéricos , Factores Sexuales , Cirujanos/estadística & datos numéricos , Estados Unidos , Equilibrio entre Vida Personal y LaboralRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Combining pregnancy with plastic surgery residency has historically been difficult. Two decades ago, 36 percent of plastic surgery program directors surveyed actively discouraged pregnancy among residents, and 33 percent of women plastic surgeons suffered from infertility. Most alarmingly, 26 percent of plastic surgery trainees had had an elective abortion during residency. With increasing numbers of women training in plastic surgery, this historical lack of support for pregnancy deserves further attention. METHODS: To explore the current accommodations made for the pregnant plastic surgery resident, an electronic survey was sent to 88 plastic surgery program directors in the United States. RESULTS: Fifty-four responded, for a response rate of 61.36 percent. On average, a director trained a total of 7.91 women among 17.28 residents trained over 8.19 years. Of the women residents, 1.43 were pregnant during a director's tenure, with 1.35 of those residents taking maternity leave. An average 1.75 male residents took paternity leave. Approximately one-third of programs had a formal maternity/paternity leave policy (36.54 percent) which, in most cases, was limited to defining allowed weeks of leave, time required to fulfill program requirements, and remuneration during leave. CONCLUSIONS: This survey of plastic surgery directors is a first step in defining the challenges training programs face in supporting the pregnant resident. Directors provided comments describing their challenges accommodating an absent resident in a small program and complying with the American Board of Plastic Surgery's required weeks of training per year. A discussion of these challenges is followed by suggested solutions.