Professional Socialization from the Perspective of Female Surgeons: Challenges and Career Achievements

ABSTRACT Objective: aiming to contribute to the field of investigation on the association between work and gender, the study focuses on the medical surgeon profession, which has a low female participation rate. Thus, the aim of the study is to understand how professional socialization of female surgeons occurs, with an emphasis on gender and work relationships. Methods: this is a qualitative, descriptive study, comprising in-depth interviews carried out with 10 female surgeons, assessing their perceptions about the analysis categories belonging to the theoretical model of professional socialization: the looking-glass self, the establishment of duality, and the adjustment of the self-concept. Results: the interviewees’ greatest interest in the surgical area originated from personal characteristics they thought were important to a surgeon, in addition to the desire to solve the patient’s problem in a more practical and objective way. Conclusions: we observed that there are conflicts between the lay and professional culture and that the professional insertion was characterized by challenges, such as prejudice and difficulties in reconciling the personal and professional aspects of life. The study increased the understanding of how the job market incorporated the female surgeons, since it is a predominantly male area characterized by many stereotypes.