Taketoshi Maehara1, Kazuko Kamiya2, Takamitsu Fujimaki3, Akira Matsumura4, Kazuhiro Hongo5, Satoshi Kuroda6, Mitsunori Matsumae7, Hideo Takeshima8, Nobuo Sugo9, Naoyuki Nakao10, Nobuhito Saito11, Fusao Ikawa12, Noriko Tamura13, Kaori Sakurada14, Shoko Shimokawa15, Hajime Arai16, Kaoru Tamura17, Kazutaka Sumita17, Shoko Hara17, Yoko Kato18. 1. Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: maehara.nsrg@tmd.ac.jp. 2. Japan Medical Association Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Neurosurgery, Saitama Medical University Hospital, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan. 4. Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. 5. Department of Neurosurgery, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan. 6. Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan. 7. Department of Neurosurgery, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara-shi, Kanagawa, Japan. 8. Department of Neurosurgery, Miyazaki University, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, Japan. 9. Department of Neurosurgery (Omori), School of Medicine, Toho University, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan. 10. Department of Neurological Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan. 11. Department of Neurological Surgery, Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan. 12. Department of Neurological Surgery, Shimane Prefectural Central Hospital, Izumo, Shimane, Japan. 13. Department of Neurological Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Kawadacho, Tokyo, Japan. 14. Department of Neurosurgery, Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, Yamagata-shi, Yamagata, Japan. 15. Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga-shi, Saga, Japan. 16. Department of Neurosurgery, Juntendo University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. 17. Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. 18. Department of Neurosurgery, Fujita Health University BANTANE Hospital, Nakagawa-ward, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To analyze why women quit full-time employment as neurosurgeons and to discuss the conditions required for their reinstatement. METHODS: We asked 94 core hospitals providing training programs in the board certification system adopted by the Japan Neurosurgical Society to indicate the total number and present status of women in their department and to send our anonymous questionnaire to women who had formerly worked as full-time neurosurgeons. The questionnaire consisted of closed and open questions on their reasons for quitting as full-time neurosurgeons. RESULTS: Among 427 women evaluated, 72 (17%) had quit full-time employment as neurosurgeons. Twenty-one women who had quit 3-21 years after starting their neurosurgery careers responded to the questionnaire, including 17 board-certified neurosurgeons, 11 individuals with master's degrees, and 16 mothers. Their main reasons for quitting full-time work were difficulty in balancing their neurosurgical career and motherhood (52%) and the physical burden (38%). At the time of quitting, only 2 units (5%) had a career counseling system for women. Two thirds of participants might resume full-time work as neurosurgeons in the future. Their support system during pregnancy and the child-raising period, and understanding of male bosses and colleagues were identified as the key themes. CONCLUSIONS: The Japan Neurosurgical Society could facilitate supportive environments for women in neurosurgery by enhancing adequate childcare services, changing the work style of full-time neurosurgeons to incorporate diverse working styles, shorter working hours, understanding of their bosses and colleagues, and a career counseling system.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze why women quit full-time employment as neurosurgeons and to discuss the conditions required for their reinstatement. METHODS: We asked 94 core hospitals providing training programs in the board certification system adopted by the Japan Neurosurgical Society to indicate the total number and present status of women in their department and to send our anonymous questionnaire to women who had formerly worked as full-time neurosurgeons. The questionnaire consisted of closed and open questions on their reasons for quitting as full-time neurosurgeons. RESULTS: Among 427 women evaluated, 72 (17%) had quit full-time employment as neurosurgeons. Twenty-one women who had quit 3-21 years after starting their neurosurgery careers responded to the questionnaire, including 17 board-certified neurosurgeons, 11 individuals with master's degrees, and 16 mothers. Their main reasons for quitting full-time work were difficulty in balancing their neurosurgical career and motherhood (52%) and the physical burden (38%). At the time of quitting, only 2 units (5%) had a career counseling system for women. Two thirds of participants might resume full-time work as neurosurgeons in the future. Their support system during pregnancy and the child-raising period, and understanding of male bosses and colleagues were identified as the key themes. CONCLUSIONS: The Japan Neurosurgical Society could facilitate supportive environments for women in neurosurgery by enhancing adequate childcare services, changing the work style of full-time neurosurgeons to incorporate diverse working styles, shorter working hours, understanding of their bosses and colleagues, and a career counseling system.
Authors: D Garozzo; R Rispoli; F Graziano; R M Gerardi; A Grotenhuis; A Jenkins; V Sammons; M Visocchi; S Pinazzo; R Lima; F Martinez; M Emamhadi; M T Pedro; H S Shirwari; F Guedes; I D Bhagavatula; D P Shukla; I D Bhat; O A Ojo; A Tirsit; M E Gonzales-Gonzales; F Luna; T Kretschmer; E Benzel; B Cappelletto Journal: Front Surg Date: 2022-06-28
Authors: Marianne Casilla-Lennon; Stephanie Hanchuk; Sijin Zheng; David D Kim; Benjamin Press; Justin V Nguyen; Alyssa Grimshaw; Michael S Leapman; Jaime A Cavallo Journal: Am J Surg Date: 2021-07-21 Impact factor: 2.565