Analyzing audience participation at the 43rd workshop of the german surgical working group on endocrinology (CAEK): gender balance in academic discussion dynamics in endocrine surgery

Introduction Although many surgical fields remain male dominated, the rising number of female medical students and physicians raises important questions about engagement dynamics within academic and professional settings. Endocrine Surgery (ES) currently demonstrates high rates of female representation among its fellows all over the world. This study examines gender differences in audience participation at the 43rd Workshop of the Surgical Working Group on Endocrinology (CAEK). Methods Lecture sessions of the 43rd Workshop of the CAEK were prospectively observed and analyzed. The study recorded the gender appearance of chairs, speakers, participants asking the first question following each lecture and whether this influenced subsequent audience participation. Gender distributions among attendees and question patterns were compared. Results A total of 385 participants (52% female, 48% male) attended the conference. 37 sessions were included. Overall, 63 questions were recorded. 34 (54%) came from women and 29 (46%) from men. The first question was posed by a male participant in 14 sessions (51.9%) and by a female participant in 13 sessions (48.1%). When discussion was started by a man, 65.9% of subsequent questions came from other men. 90.9% of follow-up questions came from women, when discussion was opened by another woman. Conclusion Female participation at the 43rd Workshop CAEK was well balanced, although the gender of the first questioner influenced subsequent audience engagement, as observed in other studies. These findings suggest equitable academic engagement in endocrine surgery in Germany, while indicating that the gender of the first questioner is associated with subsequent audience participation.