TY - JOUR
T1 - Gender Representation at Neurological Surgery Conferences
AU - Silva, Nicole
AU - Cerasiello, Samantha
AU - Semonche, Alexa
AU - Sotayo, Alaba
AU - Luis, Justin
AU - Shao, Belinda
AU - Richardson, Angela
AU - Eloy, Jean Anderson
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Background: Women constitute a minority (9.2%) of academic neurosurgeons. We previously found that women in academic medicine are disadvantaged in funding and career advancement opportunities. We hypothesized that women are also underrepresented at neurosurgical society conferences. Methods: Programs from the 2014–2018 meetings of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Association of Neurological Surgery (AANS), and North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) were analyzed. Demographic data, including name, gender, and geographic region of practice, were collected for speaker, moderator, or leadership positions. χ2 statistical analysis was performed for difference in gender representation across all opportunity spots. Results: In the period 2014–2018, there was no female presidents or honored guest at any academic meetings analyzed; 53.8% of executive committees comprised all men. Women often constituted a minority (<15%) of speakers and moderators at CNS, AANS, and NASBS meetings: speakers (% female, range), 8.6 (5.5–11.7), 13.6 (10.1–19.7), and 10.5 (5.6–16.6); moderators (% female, range), 7.8 (0–14.3), 23.0 (81.3–91.3), and 13.0 (8.6–18.7). Conference panels frequently comprised all men (58% CNS, 20.7% AANS, 61% NASBS). χ2 analysis found a disparity in male and female participation across all opportunity spots (P = 0.002). Additionally, female participants are often repeated, decreasing total number of unique women participating. There was no significant increase in female participation across the study period. Conclusions: In 2014–2018, underrepresentation of women in national neurosurgical conferences either matched or exceeded the baseline gender disparity seen in academic neurosurgery. We discussed potential causes of and strategies to address these findings.
AB - Background: Women constitute a minority (9.2%) of academic neurosurgeons. We previously found that women in academic medicine are disadvantaged in funding and career advancement opportunities. We hypothesized that women are also underrepresented at neurosurgical society conferences. Methods: Programs from the 2014–2018 meetings of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Association of Neurological Surgery (AANS), and North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) were analyzed. Demographic data, including name, gender, and geographic region of practice, were collected for speaker, moderator, or leadership positions. χ2 statistical analysis was performed for difference in gender representation across all opportunity spots. Results: In the period 2014–2018, there was no female presidents or honored guest at any academic meetings analyzed; 53.8% of executive committees comprised all men. Women often constituted a minority (<15%) of speakers and moderators at CNS, AANS, and NASBS meetings: speakers (% female, range), 8.6 (5.5–11.7), 13.6 (10.1–19.7), and 10.5 (5.6–16.6); moderators (% female, range), 7.8 (0–14.3), 23.0 (81.3–91.3), and 13.0 (8.6–18.7). Conference panels frequently comprised all men (58% CNS, 20.7% AANS, 61% NASBS). χ2 analysis found a disparity in male and female participation across all opportunity spots (P = 0.002). Additionally, female participants are often repeated, decreasing total number of unique women participating. There was no significant increase in female participation across the study period. Conclusions: In 2014–2018, underrepresentation of women in national neurosurgical conferences either matched or exceeded the baseline gender disparity seen in academic neurosurgery. We discussed potential causes of and strategies to address these findings.
KW - Conferences
KW - Gender disparity
KW - Gender gap
KW - Gender representation
KW - Neurological surgery conferences
KW - Neurosurgery
KW - Women in neurosurgery
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U2 - 10.1016/j.wneu.2019.06.062
DO - 10.1016/j.wneu.2019.06.062
M3 - Article
C2 - 31212029
SN - 1878-8750
VL - 129
SP - 453
EP - 459
JO - World Neurosurgery
JF - World Neurosurgery
ER -