[Careers of women in academic surgery].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of our national survey was to determine personal, working, and career conditions of women in academic surgery in Germany.


METHODS
A questionnaire with 47 items was sent to 261 female surgeons working in 36 departments of general, abdominal, trauma, and vascular surgery. A total of 134 (51.3%) from all 36 surgical departments responded with completed surveys.


RESULTS
The mean age of the women was 35.1 years (range 27 to 54). Seventy-eight percent of the surgeons worked in departments for general or abdominal surgery, 17% in trauma, and 5% in vascular surgery. 45% of the women had finished residency and 19% were in faculty positions. Eighty percent of those asked were mostly or always content with their working conditions. However, 79% perceived career obstacles in academic surgery. The most frequently addressed obstructions were: predominant male structures (80%), the absence of mentoring programs (70%), too few operative cases per month (67%), and no equality of career opportunities compared to male surgeons (60%).


CONCLUSIONS
To reduce career obstructions, which were reported by 79% of the female surgeons, and to encourage those 33% who wanted to leave academic surgery, it seems necessary to improve cooperation between female surgeons, department chairs, and governmental institutions.
Weber
T
T
Abteilung für Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Unfallchirurgie der Universität Heidelberg. theresia.weber@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Reidel
M
M
Graf
S
S
Hinz
U
U
Keller
M
M
Büchler
M W
MW
D000328:Adult; D002322:Career Mobility; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008611:Mentors; D008875:Middle Aged; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011287:Prejudice; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce