Gender disparities in perceived parenthood support among vascular surgery trainees

Many interventions can support the unique challenges surgical trainee parents encounter. We investigated parenthood support intervention availability among vascular surgery training programs and their associations with perceived parenthood support using responses from a voluntary, national cross-sectional survey of vascular surgery trainees. Trainees characterized perceived program support and parenthood support intervention availability. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated associations of feelings of support with demographics and interventions. Among 447 respondents (65.7% response rate), 30.2% were current or expectant parents (N = 135), and 87.5% felt supported to pursue parenthood. However, perceived support varied by gender (78.7% of females vs 92.8% of males, p < 0.001), including among trainee parents (70.6% vs 91.1%, p = 0.003). After adjusting for gender, back-up call schedule availability was associated with greater odds of feeling supported (aOR 2.2, 95% CI:1.0-4.8). Policies supporting trainee parenthood can significantly influence program culture and parenthood decisions. Further interventions are needed to ensure equitable support for trainee family planning.