Gender Disparities in Career Longevity Among Surgeons and Physicians: A Decade-Long Analysis

Physician and surgeon retirement patterns are influenced by gender, specialty, and practice settings, impacting workforce composition and equity. We hypothesize that male surgeons have longer career durations and are less likely to retire than their female counterparts, with differences across specialties.

Data from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services National Downloadable Database (2014-2024) were analyzed to determine career duration and retirement status among physicians and surgeons across various subspecialties. Career duration was defined as the most recent year a physician appeared in the database minus their graduation year; retirement was defined as the year their National Provider Identifier number was no longer present. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyzed demographic variables, practice settings, and trends, with an interaction analysis assessing the odds of retirement by specialty and gender.

Among 280,727 physicians, retirement rates were 33.8% for females and 33.7% for males (P = 0.69). Female physicians had shorter careers than males (30 [25-36] versus 35 [28-42] years, P < 0.001). Among surgeons, fewer females were retired (29.6% versus 32.6%, P < 0.001), but males had longer careers (41 [34-47] versus 30 [24 - 38] years, P < 0.001). Male surgeons were more likely to remain in the workforce in 2024 (odds ratio 1.5, confidence interval 1.34-1.60). Female cardiac, general, orthopedic, urologic, and plastic surgeons had lower odds of remaining in the work force compared to male general surgeons.

Male surgeons exhibit longer careers and greater workforce retention than females. Gender disparities across surgical specialties emphasize the need to support female surgeons' career longevity and address workforce inequities.