Women Representation in Surgical Specialties: Reflections about Gender Equity after the 34th Brazilian Surgical Conference

ABSTRACT In September 2021, the 34th Brazilian Surgical Conference hosted the “Panel: Women in Surgery” - the only session in the event solely composed of female speakers. Although gender inequities in surgery are well recognized in the international literature, the panel portrayed how distant we are from the desired equity in our country. In addition, the session emphasized the need to broaden the debate and identify the mechanisms for greater inclusion and maintenance of women in the surgical career. In this editorial, we provide a historical overview of gender disparities in the Brazilian surgical ecosystem, highlight the contributing factors to a reduced number of female surgeons, and how the structure of medical societies may influence the rise of women to leadership positions. Accordingly, we discuss the benefits of gender diversity for surgeons, patients, and institutions. Furthermore, we analyze the representation of women in the Brazilian College of Surgeons since its foundation and in the scientific sessions at the conference, demonstrating that more initiatives are required to encourage female representation in the college. Finally, we propose a series of recommendations to foster engagement and contribute to the prosperity of women surgeons in Brazil.

摘要：2021年9月，第34届巴西外科医师大会（34th Brazilian Surgical Conference）设立了“专题论坛：外科领域的女性”专场——这是本次大会唯一一个全部由女性讲者组成的环节。尽管外科领域的性别不平等问题在国际学术文献中已有广泛共识，但该专场仍揭示出，巴西在实现外科领域性别平等的道路上仍存在不小差距。此外，该专场还强调，有必要进一步拓展相关讨论，明确能够更好地包容并留住外科行业女性从业者的机制。在本篇社论中，我们将对巴西外科行业生态系统中的性别不平等现状展开历史梳理，剖析女性外科医师占比偏低的成因，并探讨医学协会的组织结构如何影响女性晋升至领导岗位的路径。据此，我们还将讨论性别多元化对外科医师、患者及医疗机构带来的多重益处。此外，我们还分析了自巴西外科医师学院（Brazilian College of Surgeons）成立以来，女性在其中的占比情况，以及本次大会学术专场中的女性参与度，由此表明，目前仍需推出更多举措以提升该学院中的女性代表比例。最后，我们提出一系列建议，以期推动巴西女性外科医师的职业参与度，并助力其行业发展繁荣。