Women In Neurosurgery Research Articles

Women in Neurosurgery: Historical Path to Self-Segregation and Proposal for an Integrated Future.

Despite the rising percentage of women accessing the medical profession over the last few decades, surgical specialties are still largely male-dominated; in particular, a remarkable gender disparity is evident in neurosurgery, where only 19% of practitioners are females. Although women may be reluctant to choose a challenging specialty like neurosurgery due to concerns around how to balance family and career, it must be admitted that prejudices against female neurosurgeons have been deeply rooted for long, prompting many to give up and switch track to less demanding subspecialties. Among those who have persisted, many, if not most, have experienced difficulties in career progression and received unequal treatment in comparison with their male counterparts. In 1989, a group of 8 female neurosurgeons founded Women in Neurosurgery (WINS), an organization that aimed to guarantee inclusivity in neurosurgery, encouraging a better and more egalitarian working environment. Thereafter, WINS sessions were regularly promoted at international conferences, offering female neurosurgeons a platform to report issues related to gender discrimination. Over recent years, the mission of WINS sessions in national and international conferences has taken an unexpected deviation; they have progressively become supplementary scientific sessions with only women neurosurgeons as speakers, thus paving the road to a form of self-segregation. This tendency has also resulted in the establishment of sections of only female neurosurgeons within some national societies. Although there remains a faction that fiercely supports the WINS mindset of reserved spaces for women, such segregation is an upsetting prospect for those who believe that science and professionalism have no gender; a growing part of the global neurosurgical community believes that the conception of a “female neurosurgery” and a “male neurosurgery” is misguided and counterproductive and consider the existence of the WINS as anachronistic and no longer necessary.

Women in neurosurgery: review of the literature combined with a gender-based analysis of the development over the past 20 years in Austria.

The number of female neurosurgeons has grown over the last decades, however, a gender gap still exists in most western countries. The reasons for this gender gap remain mostly unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyze the development of the numbers of female neurosurgeons in Austria over the last 20 years in comparison to other surgical disciplines. Additionally, a literature review was performed summarizing articles reporting on women in neurosurgery. Data including male and female residents as well as board certified surgeons over the last 20 years retrieved from the Austrian Medical Association were collected. An additional PubMed query was performed focusing on literature reporting on working conditions, work-life-balance as well as data of female leading positions. In 2021, 5237 surgeons were registered at the Austrian Medical Association including 258 (5%) neurosurgeons. In total, 1081 of 5237 (21%) surgeons and 61 of 253 (24%) of all Austrian neurosurgeons were female. In comparison to the percentage of women in all surgical disciplines, the number of female neurosurgeons is represented slightly above the average of 21%. According to data representing the trend of the last 20 years, the percentage of female neurosurgeons in Austria has doubled over the last 20 years. Comparably, this trend can be observed in all surgical disciplines. The percentage of female neurosurgeons in Austria are constantly increasing over the last 20 years, however a gender gap still exists. Consequently, studies are warranted to analyse the causes to improve the reported gender gap in Neurosurgery.

Lessons from the life of Asia's first female neurosurgeon for modern neurosurgical trainees and educators worldwide.

Surgical specialties, and particularly neurosurgery, have historically had and continue to have poor representation of female trainees. This is especially true of South Asia, considering the added social and cultural expectations for women in this region. Yet it was in India, with its difficult history of gender relations, that Asia's first fully qualified female neurosurgeon, Dr. T. S. Kanaka (1932-2018), took root, flourished, and thereafter played an integral role in helping develop stereotactic and functional neurosurgery in the country. While a few biographical accounts of her exist, highlighted here are the lessons from her illustrious life for neurosurgical trainees and educators worldwide, along with the instances that exemplify those lessons, drawn from several hitherto unutilized primary sources. These lessons are consistent with the factors identified in previous systematic reviews to be contributing to gender disparities in neurosurgery. Many of the virtues that ensured her success are attributes that continue to be critical for a neurosurgical career. Additionally, the circumstances that helped Kanaka succeed have been recounted as considerations for those working to promote diversity and inclusion. Finally, her life choices and sacrifices are described, which are underexplored but relevant concerns for women in neurosurgery.

Gender Equality in Neurosurgery and Strategic Goals Toward a More Balanced Workforce.

The Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons published a white paper in 2008 setting an ambitious goal for women to comprise 20% of neurosurgery residents by 2012 and 20% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2020. Although there has been steady progress, we have fallen short of these benchmarks. We take this opportunity to look back at the accomplishments made over the past decade and provide an update on our present status. We evaluate current barriers toward progress and propose new goals, highlighting the systemic changes necessary to accomplish them. We propose the following updated recommendations to recruit and retain diverse talent into the neurosurgical workforce. (1) Neurosurgical departments and societies should provide diverse, early formal mentorship opportunities for medical students, residents, and junior faculty members. (2) Parental leave policies must be delineated, promoted, and enforced for all neurosurgeons, with greater awareness of internal discrimination and normalization of the discussion surrounding this topic. (3) We need to strive for compensation equity, with transparency in compensation mechanisms and regular assessment of compensation metrics. (4) Departments and institutions must have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and discrimination and establish a safe reporting structure. Finally, we propose attainable benchmarks toward achieving gender balance in the neurosurgical workforce, with a goal for women to comprise 30% of the entering residency class by 2030 and to comprise 30% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2038. We hope that this will guide further progress toward our future of building a balanced workforce.

826 Gender Equality in Neurosurgery and Strategic Goals Towards a More Balanced Workforce

INTRODUCTION: The Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) published a white paper in 2008 setting a goal for women to comprise 20% of neurosurgery residents by 2012 and 20% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2020. There has been notable progress toward these benchmarks, but we ultimately fell short of their achievement. METHODS: A literature review was performed PubMed, Google Scholar, and published data from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and other society websites. to perform a thorough progress assessment. The combined expertise and experience of the authors was used to create new specific recommendations. RESULTS: There was an exponential increase in the number of female neurosurgical trainees in the past several decades, the percentage of female neurosurgery residents increased from 12.7% to 19.3%and the percentage of ABNS certified female neurosurgeons increased from 5% to 12% between 2010 and 2020. The total female authorship in Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery increased from 12 to 16.5% between 2003 and 2018, however there was no increase in senior authorship. Women were more likely to be published as first author with a female senior author than with a male senior author (30.4% v 14.1%). Systemic barriers identified include wage inequity of 10-25%, rampant sexual harassment, and barriers regarding parental leave policies. CONCLUSIONS: We propose the following updated recommendations. Neurosurgical departments and societies should make targeted effort to retain women in academic neurosurgery in order to foster mentorship opportunities. There must be explicit policies regarding sexual harassment, compensation equity, and parental leave. Finally, we propose new benchmarks of women comprising 30% of residents by 2030, and 30% of practicing neurosurgeons by 2040.

107 Composition and Gender Distribution of Editorial Boards for Top Neurosurgical Journals

INTRODUCTION: Women are underrepresented in academic medicine, most notably in surgical subspecialties. Despite increasing numbers of female neurosurgery residents, female neurosurgeons are not obtaining competitive national positions at comparable rates. Serving as a journal editor is one measure of academic success. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of editorial boards for the top 10 English-language neurosurgical journals (Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, JNS: Spine, World Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Focus, JNS: Pediatrics, Acta Neurochirurgica, Surgical Neurology International, Neurosurgical Review, and Neurosurgical Clinics). Board members were identified from journal websites. Data was obtained from journal websites, program faculty lists, or physician online profiles. Editors with medical degrees (MD or equivalent) were included. Gender differences were compared using Student’s t-test and chi-squared analysis. RESULTS: 722 board members were examined (female n=65; male n=650; unidentified n=7). Overall, women had fewer years in practice (p=0.002) while men were more likely to have additional degrees (p=0.009) and to have higher h-indices (p<0.0001). Within the editorial boards of Neurosurgery and Acta Neurochirurgica, men were more likely to have been in practice longer (p=0.014;p=0.023), and to have higher h-indices (p=0.003;p=0.025). Male editors for JNS: Spine and World Neurosurgery were more likely to have higher h-indices (p=0.007;p=0.018). CONCLUSION: Women constitute ∼8% of the editorial boards for top neurosurgical journals. While this is comparable to the amount of practicing female academic neurosurgeons, much needs to be done to achieve gender parity in competitive, high-ranking positions. The differences in years in practice and h-index suggest that this discrepancy may improve with time as more women enter practice and produce scientific literature. Efforts to recruit and retain women in neurosurgery should be pursued to rectify this discrepancy.

Women in neurosurgery: perspectives from a developing country; Turkey.

Although at least half of medical students are women, neurosurgery is not often preferred by women, and the proportion of female neurosurgeons who can participate in the academic platform is very low. In this study, we aimed to show the role of female neurosurgeons in the Turkish Neurosurgical Society and to describe the number and the location of female neurosurgeons in Turkey. We examined the age, academic rank, years of work in the profession, membership rate in society subgroups, h-index parameters, and relationships of certificated female neurosurgeons registered in the Turkish Neurosurgical Society. We examined gender rate differences between society subgroups using chi-square tests. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. According to the year-end 2020 data of the Turkish Neurosurgery Society, 94 (5.5%) of the 1699 neurosurgery specialists registered in Turkey are women. There are currently 94 board-certified female neurosurgeons between the ages of 31 and 92years; 10 are full professors (10.6%), 16 are associate professors (17%), 5 are assistant professors (5.3%), and 63 are neurosurgery specialist physicians (67%). Female neurosurgeons are present among six of the subfields categorized by the Turkish Neurosurgical Society: 7 in pediatric neurosurgery (11.47%); 8 in spinal and peripheral nerve surgery (2.4%); 3 in neurovascular surgery (2.02%); 7 in functional neurosurgery (5.8%); 11 in neuroanatomy (9.2%); and 23 in neurooncology (6.9%). The number of female neurosurgeons in Turkey continues to grow each year. To increase the proportion of women in this field, it is important to support female neurosurgeons and enable them to take on more tasks.

Women in pediatric neurosurgery

Pediatric neurosurgery is an ever-evolving field, and at the heart of it are talented and hardworking neurosurgeons who harness technology and research to enhance the standard of neurosurgical care for children. Recent studies have found that female neurosurgeons tend to choose a career focused on pediatric neurosurgery more than other subspecialties. However, the achievements and contributions of women in pediatric neurosurgery are not well known. To address this, an international working group of pediatric neurosurgeons was established from the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) Women in Neurosurgery (WINS) group and Pediatric Neurosurgery Committee. The working group reviewed the current literature and collected information through personal communications with the global WINS network. Despite the increasing number of women entering neurosurgical training, the number of female pediatric neurosurgeons is still a mere handful worldwide. In this article, the authors summarize the current status of female pediatric neurosurgeons across the globe, highlighting their achievements as well as the gender bias and challenges that they face at every level of progression of their career. A better organized pediatric neurosurgery workforce, with more female representation and mentorship, would encourage future generations of diverse genders toward a career in this field.

International Women in Neurosurgery.

The history of women in neurosurgery worldwide has been characterized by adversity and hardships in a male-dominated field, where resilient, tenacious, and ingenious women have nevertheless left their mark. The first women in neurosurgery appeared in Europe at the end of the 1920s, and since then have emerged in all continents in the world. Women neurosurgeons all over the globe have advanced the field in numerous directions, introducing neurosurgical subspecialties to their countries, making scientific and technical advances, and dedicating themselves to humanitarian causes, to name a few. The past 30years, in particular, have been a period of increasing involvement and responsibility for women in neurosurgery. We must now focus on continual system improvements that will promote a diverse and talented workforce, building a welcoming environment for all aspiring neurosurgeons, in order to advance the specialty in the service of neurosurgical patients.

Women in Neurosurgery - The Road Less Traveled.

Neurosurgery is one of the most challenging branches in medicine. Apart from rigorous training, it demands precision, perfection, and excellence. It calls for a kind of stubborn confidence in self and the will to go well beyond. It has always been a male-dominated speciality, and the path for women in neurosurgery was paved by a handful of female surgeons who took "the road less traveled." These pioneering few had to face a number of obstacles to attain their dreams, but their persistence prevailed and has set the route for future. This article highlights the progress of women in neurosurgery in India.

Women in neurosurgery in the United Kingdom: past, present and future.

Whilst a growing number of women in the United Kingdom (UK) are making a success of a career in medicine as a whole, a considerable gender imbalance persists in neurosurgery. The extent of this disparity and the factors that perpetuate it are difficult to assess. Furthermore, over the 70 years since the first female neurosurgeon in the UK commenced her postgraduate training, it is difficult to gauge the progress that has been made. In this article we present a snapshot of women who have played, and who are playing, a key role in UK neurosurgery, highlighting their diverse career paths. We also present the current training distribution and subspecialties of women in UK neurosurgery. We use these data to reflect upon the possible barriers to completion of neurosurgical training, obtaining a substantive consultant position, and reaching positions of academic and clinical leadership. We discuss potential interventions that may overcome these. Highlighting the role women play in UK neurosurgery's past, present and future should inspire more female neurosurgeons to become leaders in the coming years.

P.212 Demographic Trends in Canadian Neurosurgery Training &amp; Academic Neurosurgery

Background: Exploring current trends in career outcomes can guide further expansion and diversity in neurosurgery demographics, as well as inform medical trainees of qualifications required for a career in neurosurgery. This study therefore aims to explore temporal trends and gender distribution in training, teaching, and leadership positions among currently practicing neurosurgeons. Methods: A list of practicing Canadian neurosurgeons and their certification year, degrees, fellowships, and teaching positions was created using publicly available information and phone/email confirmation by surgeons. Results: We identified 297 neurosurgeons currently practicing in Canada (F=32, M=265). There was a significant trend towards a greater number of neurosurgical staff having at least one advanced degree or fellowship over time (p=0.0012, p=0.0048 respectively), with no significant difference between proportions of males and females. Within academia, women represent 33% of adjunct professors, 8% of associate professors, and 15.2% of full professors. Two neurosurgical departments in Canada are led by women. Conclusions: Literature shows there is an underrepresentation of women in neurosurgery, particularly in higher-ranking teaching and leadership positions, yet our results suggest there is no significant differences in qualifications between males and females. Further exploration is needed to identify reasons underlying these trends and propose solutions to promote growth in the field.

First Female Neurosurgeon in the United States: Dorothy Klenke Nash, MD.

Dr Dorothy Klenke Nash (1898-1976) became the first female neurosurgeon in the United States in 1928 and maintained her status as the country's only female neurosurgeon until 1960. She graduated with her medical degree from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1927 and then trained at the Neurologic Institute of New York under Dr Byron Stookey. During her training, she contributed to the advancement of neurosurgical practice through academic research. In 1931, she married Charles B. Nash, and together they had 2 children, George (1932) and Dorothy Patricia (1937). Dr Nash became a senior surgeon at St. Margaret's Hospital in Pittsburgh in 1942. Shortly thereafter, she joined the inaugural University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurosurgery led by Dr Stuart N. Rowe and became an instructor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In acknowledgment of her advocacy for public access to services for mental health and cerebral palsy, Dr Nash was recognized as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania (1953) and honored by Mercy Hospital (1957), Bryn Mawr College (1960), and Columbia University (1968). She retired from neurosurgical practice in 1965, at which time she devoted herself to her grandchildren and her Catholic faith. She died on March 5, 1976 at the age of 77. With unwavering tenacity, Dr Nash paved the way for all women in neurosurgery.

Gender diversity in United States neurosurgery training programs.

Neurosurgery continues to be one of the medical specialties with the lowest representation of females in both the resident and faculty workforce. Currently, there are limited available data on the gender distribution of faculty and residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited neurosurgery training programs. This information is critical to accurately measure the results of any effort to improve both the recruitment and retention of women in neurosurgery. The objective of the current study was to define the current gender distribution of faculty and residents in ACGME-accredited neurosurgery training programs. Data publicly available through institutional and supplemental websites for neurosurgical faculty and residents at ACGME-accredited programs were analyzed for the 2017-2018 academic year. Data collected for faculty included gender, age, year of residency graduation, academic rank, h-index, American Board of Neurological Surgery certification status, and leadership positions. Resident data included gender and postgraduate year of training. Among the 109 ACGME-accredited neurosurgical residency programs included in this study, there were 1350 residents in training, of whom 18.2% were female and 81.8% were male. There are 1320 faculty, of whom 8.7% were female and 91.3% were male. Fifty-eight programs (53.2%) had both female faculty and residents, 35 programs (32.1%) had female residents and no female faculty, 4 programs (3.7%) had female faculty and no female residents, and 6 programs (5.5%) lacked both female residents and faculty. Six programs (5.5%) had incomplete data. Female faculty were younger, had lower h-indices, and were less likely to be board certified and attain positions of higher academic rank and leadership. This study serves to provide a current snapshot of gender diversity in ACGME-accredited neurosurgery training programs. While there are still fewer female neurosurgeons achieving positions of higher academic rank and serving in leadership positions than male neurosurgeons, the authors' findings suggest that this is likely due to the small number of women in the neurosurgical field who are the farthest away from residency graduation and serves to highlight the significant progress that has been made toward achieving greater gender diversity in the neurosurgical workforce.

Women in neurosurgery and interventional neuroradiology in Brazil and other countries: can lightning strike the same place twice?

Neurosurgery is historically a specialty with a wide male predominance. Interventional neuroradiology, considered in many countries to be a subspecialty of neurosurgery (but also radiology and neurology), has never been the setting for this discussion, but the even greater gender inequality of professionals working in this area is well known. The initial objective of this research was to describe the personal and professional profile of the few women in Brazil who practise neurosurgery and interventional neuroradiology, and the difficulties they encountered throughout their careers just because they are women. However, the shocking stories they experienced led the team to expand searches around the world, obtaining data from some other countries, mainly in South America. Machismo, harassment, misogyny, discrimination and wage inequality go beyond borders. Current times do not allow these situations anymore, but which, according to the narrative descriptions of 28 interventional neuroradiology women interviewed, still occur very frequently. A more inclusive vision must be sought by interventional neuroradiology societies, and it is up to the leaders to take care of those who need more attention (which does not mean they are more fragile).

Women in Neurosurgery Around the World: A Systematic Review and Discussion of Barriers, Training, Professional Development, and Solutions

Women have been a minority in neurosurgery since the foundation of the specialty. Women who choose to pursue neurosurgery or advance in their career must overcome various obstacles. In this article, we discuss the proportion of women in neurosurgery globally and the obstacles they face, as well as the solutions being implemented. A systematic review of studies concerning international women in neurosurgery was conducted. Article inclusion was assessed based on relevance to women of neurosurgery, geographic region, date, and classification (rates/data, barriers, or solutions). From the specified search, 127 articles were retrieved, and 27 met the inclusion criteria. Of the total, 25 countries were represented and discussed in the articles. Primary classification of articles resulted in 50 for data/rates, 22 for barriers, and 17 for possible solutions. Despite cultural differences among unique regions of the globe, women face similar challenges when pursuing neurosurgery, such as difficulty advancing their careers, balancing duties at work and at home, meeting social and cultural expectations, and finding support and mentorship. Encouragingly, measures are already being implemented worldwide to allow women to fulfill their multiple other roles through maternity leave policies, increasing their access to mentors, and enabling promotions throughout their careers. With the shortage of neurosurgeons in many regions of the world, the recruitment of female neurosurgeons plays a vital role in meeting those demands. Our cultures and professional societies should celebrate their inclusion and promotion and accommodate the complex role of women as neurosurgeons, mothers, partners, scientists, and leaders.

Advocacy Must Start Early: The Success of NANSIG’s “Neurosurgeon of the Month” as a Tool to Highlight Role Models for Women in Neurosurgery

Advocacy Must Start Early: The Success of NANSIG’s “Neurosurgeon of the Month” as a Tool to Highlight Role Models for Women in Neurosurgery

Social Perception and Academic Trends on Women in the Field of Neurosurgery: A Bibliometric Analysis

The ongoing trend of societal evolution in contemporary civilization has allowed increased inclusion of heterogenous identity groups into fields, such as neurosurgery, where certain groups have traditionally been underrepresented. In regard to the field of neurosurgery, the increasing recognition of the disparities faced by women is illustrated by a growing body of academic literature. We conducted a bibliometric analysis querying the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases for articles on women in neurosurgery using the MeSH terms "woman," "women," "gender," neurosurgery," neurological surgery," and "neurosurgeon." Articles were excluded if they did not concern societal impact of nonmale population in the context of neurosurgery. Total citations, mean citations per year, publishing journal information, and author demographics were abstracted from included reports. Associations between abstracted continuous variables were evaluated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Derived P values < 0.05 were taken as significant. A total of 49 articles were included. Total numbers of citations per report were positively associated with mean citations per year (r= 0.7289, P= 0.0253), the latter of which was slightly negatively associated with the age of the report (r=-0.0413, P= 0.0009). Age of publication year was found to be negatively correlated with the number of reports published per year (r=-0.648, P=0.0066). Total citations per reports were significantly correlated with increased numbers of citations during the last completed calendar year (2019: r= 0.8956, P= 0.0397). Recognition in societal evolutionary trends as evidenced by academic activity has shown increased focus on the explicit and intrinsic biases faced by women in neurosurgery. Recent years have seen significant increases in published reports concerning the subject, as well as rising academic impact per a given report. This phenomenon is speculated to continue, and understanding to broaden as societal perception continues to develop.

Perception of gender discrimination among spine surgeons across Latin America: a web-based survey

BACKGROUND CONTEXTFemale physicians rarely choose spine surgery as their specialty. Although the specialty's nature and its associated lifestyle are potential barriers, gender-related issues may play an important part. PURPOSETo evaluate the gender discrimination among spine surgeons across Latin America. STUDY DESIGNCross-sectional survey. PATIENT SAMPLEThe participants in this study were 223 AO Spine Latin America (AOSLA) registered members who answered the web-based survey. OUTCOME MEASURESPersonal and professional demographics; gender-related objective and subjective experiences regarding career and personal life. METHODSA survey link containing a 24-item questionnaire was sent to the members’ e-mails in September 2019. The survey was designed to evaluate the perception of gender discrimination by spine surgeons during their academic and professional lives. RESULTSOut of 223 members who answered the survey, 196 (87.96%) were male and 27 (12.11%) female. Most were orthopedic surgeons (64.13%), ≥40 years of age (55.16%), and had <20 years of experience (69.95%). Gender discrimination was more frequent among women than among men (66.67% vs. 1.02%), as did discouragement from becoming a spine surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, or neurosurgeon (81.48% vs. 0.51%). Females reported higher rates of sexual harassment (44.44% vs. 7.65%) and more often felt disadvantaged because of gender (55.56% vs. 2.55%). Working harder than men to achieve the same prestige and lack of female mentorship were the most common obstacles reported by women (55.56%). Residency/fellowship influenced the decision to postpone/avoid having children for 66.67% of women but only 37.75% of men. Creation of a Women's Committee in AO Spine was supported by 74.07% of women and 38.78% of men. CONCLUSIONSGender-based discrimination affects women more frequently than men in spine surgery. These experiences likely contribute to the low prevalence of female spine surgeons. Efforts to mitigate bias and support the professional development of women in neurosurgery, orthopedics and spine communities are encouraged.

Women in Neurosurgery: First Neurosurgeon in Latin America and Current Mexican Leaders

History has taught us that Mexican culture has been largely supported by women, despite gender prejudice from the society. Neurosurgery has not been the exception. Therefore, we investigated the challenges and influence of female neurosurgeons in Mexico. We conducted a review of the literature and an analysis of the internal database of the Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery focusing on 3 topics: 1) the historical presence of women and gender inequality in Mexico; 2) the life and legacy of the woman who became the first neurosurgeon in Mexico and in Latin America; and 3) the participation of women in neurosurgery in the past 3 decades. In Latin America, the first woman in neurosurgery was María Cristina García-Sancho, who completed her neurosurgical training in 1951. Currently, women represent 6.2% of the total members of the Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery (MSNS). This percentage is still low, although data collected in this study suggest that it might increase in the next few years because 16.7% of Board Directors of the MSNS are women, the next elected president is a female neurosurgeon, and 14.5% of neurosurgery residents are women. Although a steady increase has occurred of women in neurosurgery in Mexico, there is still work to do, especially to overcome the barriers related to the old assumptions of the cultural and social roles of women.