What if the gloves don’t fit? How workplace hazards affect women vascular surgeons

As the proportion of female doctors increases, many medical specialties have seen an increase in the representation of women in workforce but surgical specialties continue to lag behind. Although a positive trend in female registrar representation across surgical specialties has been observed in recent years, this has not been the case for vascular surgery, where only 14% of the consultant workforce and 25% of registrars are women. There is also a growing body of evidence to suggest that women who do choose vascular surgery may pay a greater price (both physically and psychologically) than their male counterparts. This review explores how workplace-related hazards and culture may affect the health and safety of female vascular surgeons, including radiation exposure, ergonomic issues, harassment, psychological strain, reduced career opportunities, lack of mentors and pregnancy risks, which may in turn influence the recruitment and retention of female vascular surgeons.