NEW PUBLICATION: Gender Equity Issues in Orthopaedics: A Scoping Review
Global Review Highlights Persistent Gender Equity Gaps in Orthopaedics
A new scoping review authored by Hippy Lab members, including three of our co-op students, shines a spotlight on widespread gender inequities in orthopaedic surgery.
Published in the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics, the review analyzed 179 studies and identified seven major themes of disparity affecting women at every stage of their orthopaedic careers.
“Despite women making up the majority of medical school students in North America, only about 6% of orthopaedic surgeons globally are women,” said Dr. Emily Schaeffer, lead author of the study. “This discrepancy has a direct impact not just on equity within the profession, but also on the quality of care patients receive.”
Key Findings:
Representation Gaps: Female representation drops steadily from medical school through residency, fellowship, and faculty leadership roles. Without intervention, projections suggest only 25% of orthopaedic trainees in the U.S. will be women by 2055.
Workplace Bias: Nearly every study reported women facing higher rates of microaggressions, gender bias, and discrimination — not just from colleagues, but also patients and hospital systems.
Pay Inequity: Women earn less despite similar workloads. One study found only 1 out of the 347 highest-paid orthopaedic surgeons was a woman.
Burnout & Health Impacts: Over half of female orthopaedic surgeons report burnout. Many delay or forgo having children due to workplace demands.
Leadership & Research: Women remain underrepresented in key research roles and society leadership, although some gains have been made in academic authorship.
Hope for Change:
Initiatives like the Perry Initiative (USA), WORTH (Canada), WOICE (India), and WAVES APOA (Asia-Pacific) are helping close these gaps by offering early mentorship, exposure, and support for young women and gender-diverse individuals considering orthopaedics.
“These programs are a step in the right direction, but we need sustained, systemic efforts,” said Dr. Schaeffer. “That means mentorship, allyship, leadership representation, and funding equity — not just awareness.”
Read the full publication here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-025-01415-4