Return to work after parenting in thoracic surgery: a call to action

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Surgical sciences
• Gender studies in medicine

Background:

• Women face under-representation in leadership and academic roles within Cardiothoracic Surgery.
• Returning to work after parental leave can exacerbate existing gender biases.
• This can have significant professional and personal consequences for women surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the experiences of surgeons returning to work after parental leave.
• To assess the impact of parenting on Thoracic Surgery careers across Europe.
• To identify key challenges faced by women in surgery post-parental leave.

Main Methods:

• A 32-item questionnaire was distributed to participants of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting 2023.
• The survey was promoted via the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons social media platform (November 2023 - January 2024).
• Descriptive and specific group analyses were conducted on the survey data.

Main Results:

• Women parents more frequently identified as primary caregivers (89% vs. 34%) and valued in-hospital childcare.
• Only 26% of breastfeeding mothers had flexible hours for breastfeeding.
• Women were more likely than men to agree that parenting affects their career (81% vs. 53%) and felt less employer support (45% vs. 68%).

Conclusions:

• Lack of structural support and childcare/breastfeeding resources are major barriers for women surgeons returning after parental leave.
• Institutional initiatives supporting new parents and breastfeeding colleagues are essential.
• Discrimination related to parental leave must not be tolerated to support workforce diversity.