The Prevalence and Impact of Gender Bias and Sexual Discrimination

Description

This presentation addresses the challenges of gender bias and sexual discrimination within the field of orthopedics. Ghazal Hodhody, a registrar from the North West Deanery, opens with acknowledgment of Dr. Elbayouk, a passionate advocate for fairness who recently passed away. She highlights the discrepancy in gender representation, noting that while the majority of medical students in the UK have been female since 1996, only 6% of orthopedic consultants are women. Hodhody discusses findings from a systematic review, revealing that sexual discrimination and harassment are prevalent, especially against women. Several statistics reveal troubling sentiments among orthopedic consultants regarding women’s capabilities and roles in surgery. She emphasizes the importance of understanding job application biases, citing studies where women faced more gender-specific questioning than men.



Hodhody proposes mitigating strategies, such as role models and initiatives like the Perry Initiative, which successfully increased female applications in orthopedic training. However, she acknowledges a lack of extensive mitigating programs currently available. Future recommendations include raising awareness, fostering openness to change, and learning from other specialties with better gender representation. Hodhody stresses the necessity of dispelling misconceptions about women in surgery and the importance of further research to address gender pay gaps and diversity in subspecialties.



The discussion continues with audience questions about the international differences in labor laws, the impact of medical education on career choices, and the need for compelling data to support improvements in gender equity in orthopedics.

DOI: 10.1302/3114-221479

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