Gender Gap? A Survey among Plastic Surgeons in Germany.

Introduction: There is an ongoing increase in the percentage of females in the field of Plastic Surgery in Germany. Currently, 29,1% of fellows and 46% of residents in Germany are female. Several studies have pointed out the various obstacles that female doctors, especially female plastic surgeons, are confronted with in their professional life. The aim of this study is to examine gender parity among plastic surgeons in Germany. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate the opinion of both women and men on gender-specific discrimination.

Methods: In a nonrandomized, cross-sectional study an anonymous questionnaire covering various subjects such as education/training, career path, the compatibility of family and career, as well as the subjective perception of gender equality in Plastic Surgery was distributed among members of the German Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (DGPRÄC) as well as through social media. Data was collected with Google Docs.

Results: The sample group (n = 285) composition was 162 female (56,8%), 122 (42,9%) male and 1 nonbinary (0,4%). The majority of women (54.3%) and men (49.1%) rated work-life balance as "difficult". In 82.1% of women and 44.3% of men, family planning was influenced by the profession. Most of the respondents work in hospitals (62.9% of women and 50.0% of men). The main motivation of 61.4% of women to go to in private practice was family reasons, 51.8% of men gave financial reasons. 64.1% of women and 54.1% of men have a doctoral degree, whereas 6.9% of women and 13.3% of the men have a postdoctoral degree. While 33.6% of the men believe that their own gender had no influence on their respective career decision, career progress or success, only 4.9% of women had the same opinion. In addition, 43.8% of women and 22.1% of men reported having experienced sexual harassment in their professional lives.

Conclusion: This study reveals significant gender differences in career development in Plastic Surgery. Family planning, motivations for establishment and academic careers, as well as the experience of sexual harassment, are of primary concern. Actively helping to shape the work environment of career development opportunities in light of this study may help to reduce gender disparities in Plastic Surgery in the future.