Abstract
Background
Gender-specific differences also affect the subject of orthopaedics and trauma surgery
(O&T). While the proportion of women studying medicine is steadily increasing, the
proportion of female surgeons in O&T is only 18.6%. This underrepresentation affects
not only clinics but also research and is reflected in participation in scientific
annual meetings such as the German Congress for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery (DKOU).
Methods
This retrospective study examined the gender differences in abstract submissions to
the DKOU from 2015 to 2024. The anonymised data were subjected to examination regarding
gender, role in submission and academic title.
Results
The overall participation of women in the 82,813 abstracts was 20%. The proportion
of women among submitters was 23.3%, among presenters 24.5% and among co-authors 18.2%.
In the analysis of the female cohort alone, women were more likely to be submitters
and presenters than in the male cohort (p < 0.001). The proportion of female participation
in abstract submissions increased by an average of 0.5% per year over the study period.
However, women were significantly underrepresented at higher academic degrees, such
as habilitations (7.4%), professorships (7.6%) and university professorships (5.2%).
Conclusion
The results show that the proportion of women submitting abstracts to the DKOU largely
corresponds to the percentage in the field of orthopaedics and trauma surgery (18.6%
in 2022), reflecting the overall gender disparity in this specialty. If this trend
analysis were applied to the general development of gender parity in orthopaedics
and trauma surgery, gender-equitable staffing of medical positions could not be achieved
before the year 2087. To accelerate this development, targeted measures to promote
women in orthopaedics and trauma surgery are necessary. This includes dismantling
structural barriers and implementing specific support programs for female surgeons
pursuing academic careers.
Keywords surgical research - gender research gap - academic career - DKOU - women in surgery
