Women in surgery: addressing inequality in the surgical workforce and improving training for all

More women than ever are entering medical school, with medicine in the UK now a female-majority degree (60%) [1]. However, the lowest proportion of female doctors is seen in intensive care medicine and surgery. At present despite women representing 36% of those in formal surgical post graduate training posts [1] only 16.9% of consultant surgeons are women [2]. Women remain under-represented in senior academic positions despite there being evidence that women are publishing more high-quality high impact papers than ever before [3]. Women begin their careers with fewer academic resources and tend to progress slower than men. Further challenges can be faced by women belonging to minority groups, for example being a person of color or LGBTQ+. Unwittingly women may be excluded from information related to job opportunities, negotiations, and organisational politics which is exchanged in settings where women are seldom invited, such as changing rooms, sports or other social activities [3].