gms | German Medical Science

Objective: Few women have ascended the professional ladder to become chairs of German neurosurgical departments. Only two out of 36 current university departmental heads are female. This study aims to assess the current role of women in German neurosurgery and to identify indicators of how it will progress from the present to the year 2030.

Methods: National statistics concerning the gender distribution of neurosurgery specialists over the past 20 years and the gender distribution across DGNC membership grades from 2016 to 2018 were obtained from the Federal Statistical Office and the DGNC, respectively. Additionally, the programmes of DGNC annual meetings from 2015 to 2018 were evaluated to determine the number of presentations and speaking time awarded to male and female presenters.

Results: 86% of board-certified neurosurgeons in Germany are male, and male neurosurgeons were more actively involved as members of the programme organization committees for DGNC annual meetings. Males were also more involved as presenters at these meetings. Less than a third of presentations were given by females, and females were more likely to give shorter-duration presentations. Nevertheless, there are indicators that an increasing number of women are getting involved in neurosurgery. The number of female board-certified neurosurgeons has almost doubled since 2010, from 286 to 496 (relative increase from 15% to 19% of all board-certified neurosurgeons). As of 2018, the percentage of female board-certified neurosurgeons approximates the percentage of female DGNC members (14%). Interestingly, there is a higher percentage of females with extraordinary membership (24%, open to trainees) than ordinary membership (11%, open to board-certified neurosurgeons only).

Conclusion: Females are currently a minority in the field of neurosurgery. However, trends indicate that the number of female neurosurgeons is growing steadily. At recent annual meetings of the DGNC, females were significantly less likely than males to give presentations which are typically associated with senior positions (e.g. plenary sessions). Structured programs to support female neurosurgeons could facilitate women the rise to senior positions and close the gender gap. The formation of a German society for female neurosurgeons, similar to WINS (USA) or KWNS (Korea), might help to achieve this goal.