The Availability of Paternity Leave in US Surgical Residencies: A Study of Program Websites

As family dynamics evolve, an increasing number of male residents are embracing parenthood during their training. Consequently, paternity leave has emerged as a crucial consideration. The aim of this study was to determine the gap in public availability of paternity leave policies in surgical residency programs across the United States.

We evaluated publicly available information regarding paternity leave policies across both program-specific and Graduate Medical Education (GME) websites of 1242 surgical residency programs across eight surgical specialties. This information was further evaluated in relation to program size, program director gender, specialty type, and geographic location using logistic regression models.

Paternity leave policies were found on only 4.3% of program-specific websites and 18.8% of GME websites. Neurosurgery had the greatest number of programs that publicly advertised their policies-11.7% on program-specific websites and 82.5% on GME websites. Vascular surgery and ear, nose, and throat surgery had no policies available on program-specific websites, and general surgery had the least paternity leave policies publicly available as per the GME websites (7.9%). Programs in the northeast were significantly less likely to have paternal leave policies publicly available (odds ratio: 0.55; 95% confidence interval: 0.31-0.96; P = 0.034), whereas programs in the west were significantly more likely (odds ratio: 2.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-3.67; P = 0.009) compared to the midwest.

This study highlights the pressing need for standardization and transparency across all surgical specialties regarding paternity leave policies. Addressing this gap is crucial for empowering applicants in family planning decisions and fostering a culture supportive of parental leave uptake.