Gender Differences in Vitreoretinal Practice: A National Survey of Indonesian Vitreoretinal Society (INAVRS) Members

Purpose To investigate gender-based differences in professional characteristics, career barriers, and workplace perceptions among members of the Indonesian Vitreoretinal Society (INAVRS). Study design: Original article, cross-sectional study. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 145 INAVRS members was conducted, assessing demographics, surgical workload, and career perceptions. Statistical analysis included Chi-Square or Fisher’s exact tests for categorical data, Mann-Whitney U tests for ordinal/Likert data, and multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the association between gender and surgical subspecialization. Results No significant gender differences were found in age, practice years, and academic engagement. Although surgical practice and surgical procedure volumes did not differ significantly between genders (p = 0.093; p = 0.066), female gender was associated with lower odds of surgical subspecialization after adjustment for age and years of practice (aOR = 0.50, p = 0.067). Male specialists identified maternity-related career interruption as a significant barrier to women’s career advancement (p = 0.001), whereas female specialists reported underrepresentation in leadership (p = 0.045). Paradoxically, women reported significantly higher perceived institutional support (p = 0.017) alongside significantly higher perceived need for additional training (p = 0.027). Overall satisfaction was similar in both genders (p = 0.678). Male specialists more frequently agreed to vitreoretinal practice having a more negative impact on family time (p = 0.047). Conclusion Despite comparable demographic and professional characteristics, perceptual and structural differences persist in Indonesian vitreoretinal practice. Targeted mentorship and flexible training models are essential to address the additional training needs and leadership gaps identified by female practitioners.