Introduction
The ratio of female doctors under the age of 30 in Japan was 36.2% in 2022, meeting the gender equality rate target of 30%, and this ratio is on the rise. In recent years, the role of female doctors in gender equality has been emphasized, and the role of female doctors at annual meetings has been investigated in many countries. Therefore, we surveyed female doctors' participation ratio and roles at the annual meetings of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research (JSSR).
Methods
In Japan, both orthopaedic and neurosurgery departments are involved in spinal surgery, with this study focusing specifically on the orthopaedic field. The number of female doctors in each program was investigated using abstracts of scientific meetings for the past 10 years (2015-2024). Gender was inferred from names, and if unknown, internet searches (e.g., Google) were used to determine gender based on photos and pronouns (he/she) according to previous papers. The ratio of female for each of the following roles: abstract reviewer, educational lecturer, symposium chairperson, symposium speaker, and general abstract oral presentation chairperson, which were requested roles, and general abstract oral presentation presenter, which were applied roles and the number of gender-equal projects were investigated.
Results
The ratio of female doctors at the JOA and JSSR Annual Meetings in 2015 and 2024 were 0.2% to 1.9%, 0% to 0.6%, as abstract reviewers, 0% to 3.8%, 0% to 0%, as educational lecturers, 0% to 4.3%, 0% to 0%, as symposium chairpersons, 1.9% to 7.0% 2.2% to 4.2%, as symposium speakers, 1.5% to 9.8%, 0% to 0.8%, as general abstract oral presentation chairpersons, 3.3% to 4.2%, 1.2% to 2.3%, as general abstract oral presentation presenters and 0 to 2, 0 to 0 projects, gender equality projects.
Discussion
The increase in the ratio of female doctors in the requested role at the 2024 JOA Annual Meeting is remarkable. On the other hand, the ratio of female doctors in each role remains low at the JSSR Annual Meeting. Over the past decade, the JSSR has reported a decrease in the number of young male spine surgeons and the ratio of female surgeons has remained constantly low. In order to sustain the organization and make it more attractive to the next generation of spine surgeons, the JSSR should strive to increase the percentage of female participation and promote an inclusive environment that supports the career development and leadership training of female spine surgeons.