Gulf cooperation council female residents in orthopedics: Influences, barriers, and mental pressures: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: There is insufficient data about female orthopedic residents in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. This study was performed to survey what influences females to take up orthopedics, and the barriers, mental pressures, and obstacles they face while a resident in training. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, which was conducted using an online self-reported validated questionnaire. Our population consisted of 569 orthopedic trainees who met our inclusion criteria, and we received 254 anonymous responses (44.6%). Results: The response rate was 78.7% for females (37 out of 47 total females who were sent the questionnaire) and 41.6% for males (217 out of 522 total number of males). The gender distribution of those who responded was 14.6% (n=37) females and 85.4% (n=217) of males. Around half of the females (48.6%) in the study decided to join orthopedic programs during their undergraduate studies. The majority of female residents (75.7%) agreed that orthopedics is physically tiring and 89.2% of them agreed that there are gender intolerances. The need to increase the number of female residents was another notion shared by 86.5% of them. On the contrary, 62.2% of the male responders disagreed to the need of increasing the female orthopedic residents and 34% were with the opinion that female residents are not fit to cover on-call duties. Conclusion: Gender intolerances exist in the GCC orthopedic programs. This might discourage female physicians from pursuing orthopedic careers. All of the concerns raised by the residents are adjustable and attainable, such as offering maternity leaves, encouraging positive behavioral changes in male surgeons, and providing equal opportunities for applicants to orthopedic boards' acceptance.