title: Women in surgery: do we really understand the deterrents?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Women are deterred from a surgical career owing to a lack of role models rather than lifestyle considerations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  University teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surgery and obstetrics/gynecology attending physicians, residents, and medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Potential deterrents to a surgical career.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men and women had a similar interest in a surgical career before their surgical rotation (64% vs 53%, P = .68). A similar percentage developed a mentor (40.0% vs 45.9%, P = .40). Women were far more likely to perceive sex discrimination (46.7% vs 20.4%, P = .002), most often from male attending physicians (33.3%) or residents (31.1%). Women were less likely to be deterred by diminishing rewards (4.4% vs 21.6%, P = .003) or workload considerations (28.9% vs 49.0%, P = .02). They were also less likely to cite family concerns as a deterrent (47.8% vs 66.7%, P = .02) and equally likely to be deterred by lifestyle during residency (83.3% vs 76.5%, P = .22). However, women were more likely to be deterred by perceptions of the "surgical personality" (40.0% vs 21.6%, P = .03) and the perception of surgery as an "old boys' club" (22.2% vs 3.9%, P = .002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men and women are very similar in what they consider important in deciding on a surgical career. Women are not more likely to be deterred by lifestyle, workload issues, or lack of role models. However, the perceived surgical personality and surgical culture is a sex-specific deterrence to a career in surgery for women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Vermont, Burlington 05401, USA.
authors.forename: Debra A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.forename: Neil H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Hyman
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hebert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010822:Physicians, Women / Q000523:psychology*; D013043:Specialties, Surgical; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload