Gender Representation at Neurological Surgery Conferences

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Education
• Gender Studies in Medicine

Background:

• Women represent a small fraction (9.2%) of academic neurosurgeons.
• Previous research indicates women face disadvantages in funding and career advancement in academic medicine.
• This study investigates the underrepresentation of women at neurosurgical society conferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the representation of women in speaker, moderator, and leadership roles at major neurosurgical conferences.
• To identify gender disparities in participation across different positions and societies.
• To analyze trends in female participation over a five-year period.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of programs from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Association of Neurological Surgery (AANS), and North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) from 2014-2018.
• Collection of demographic data including gender for all identified roles.
• Statistical analysis (chi-squared) to compare gender representation.

Main Results:

• No female presidents or honored guests were identified in the analyzed meetings.
• Women comprised a minority of speakers (<16.6%) and moderators (<23.0%) across all societies.
• Executive committees were predominantly male (53.8%), and conference panels were frequently all-male (20.7%-61%).
• A statistically significant disparity in male and female participation was observed (P=0.002).
• Female participation did not significantly increase during the study period, and unique female contributors were often repeated.

Conclusions:

• Underrepresentation of women in national neurosurgical conferences from 2014-2018 mirrored or exceeded existing gender disparities in academic neurosurgery.
• Potential causes and strategies for addressing these inequities were discussed.