[Gender distribution in visceral surgery : 11 years visceral medicine congress -A call for equal opportunities]

Despite a growing proportion of women in surgery, there is a significant underrepresentation in clinical and academic leadership positions. The mechanisms are still poorly understood. The German Congress of Visceral Medicine, as the largest interdisciplinary medical congress in German-speaking countries, provides a suitable platform for investigating gender-specific representation patterns. The aim of this study was to analyze the gender distribution in various congress functions between 2013 and 2024 in order to identify potential structural inequalities.

The gender distribution of speakers and chairs at the German Congress of Visceral Medicine from 2013 to 2024 was analyzed based on the official congress programs. After excluding gastroenterological, endoscopic and interdisciplinary sessions, the visceral surgery sessions were analyzed in the categories of abstract sessions, plenary sessions and industry symposia.

The analysis revealed a significant increase in the number of female speakers (r² = 0.585; p = 0.006) and chairs (r² = 0.777; p < 0.001). The proportion of female speakers significantly increased in both plenary sessions (r² = 0.600, p = 0.005) and abstract sessions (r² = 0.445, p = 0.025). An increase in the number of female chairs was also observed for plenary sessions (r² = 0.796; p < 0.001) and abstract sessions (r² = 0.678; p = 0.002). Parity could not be achieved except for chairs of abstract sessions. At industry symposia, speakers were male in 88-100%, and chairs were male in 100% of all cases. The congress presidency was held by men in 10 out of 11 years (92%). The Walter Kausch Medal and the Rudolf Pichlmayr Medal went exclusively to men (100%).

The analysis reveals a persistent underrepresentation of female surgeons in prestigious conference roles. Women were predominantly represented in less visible formats, indicating structural barriers. Following the introduction of transparent selection procedures and gender parity requirements, a significant increase in female participation was observed. These results suggest that targeted institutional measures are suitable for promoting the representation of women in academic surgery and reducing existing imbalances.