Unveiling Gender Disparity: A Closer Look at Speaker Representation at International Aesthetic Medicine Conferences

Despite some recent progress, gender disparity is a well-documented and persistent problem at medical professional conferences, with women being consistently underrepresented.1 This study examines the representation of speakers at international aesthetic medicine conferences, an area previously unexplored in the literature.

An analysis of speaker composition was conducted of three international aesthetic medicine conferences over the past three years: the Aesthetics & Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress (AMWC), the International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS) World Congress, and the Facial Aesthetic Conference and Exhibition (FACE).

Of the 5,993 clinical lectures amongst 189 sessions over three years, 66.34 percent were given by male speakers and 33.66 percent by female speakers. The gender disparity remained consistent over the three-year period reviewed, with no upward trend. Symposiums with all-male panels consisted of 26.4 percent of the total sessions.

The study highlights an ongoing gender imbalance at international aesthetic medicine conferences. These disparities have broad and significant implications in terms of inequalities in employment and earnings as well as the perpetuated societal inequalities faced by women. The aesthetic medicine community should therefore consider it a priority to acknowledge and address this issue by supporting improved representation of women at key events and congresses amongst other initiatives to drive positive change.