Work-life balance perception may differ between men, women in orthopedics
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Key takeaways:
- Differences in work-life balance approached significance between male and female physicians.
- Younger surgeons vs. older surgeons also had significant differences in work-life balance.
DALLAS — Results presented here showed the perception of work-life balance approached significant difference among male and female orthopedic surgeons, as well as among physicians initially interested in arthroplasty.
“Although we are a long way from gender parity in orthopedics in arthroplasty, I think we have a great opportunity as surgeons to demonstrate positive work-life balance mentorship for our younger colleagues and, hopefully, expand both gender and racial diversity,” Elizabeth A. Dailey, MD, a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan Health, said in her presentation at the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting.
Dailey and colleagues distributed a survey to American orthopedic surgery residency program directors and on social media to be completed by physicians applying to fellowship, those who already completed fellowship or those who were in fellowship.
“We also were interested in people who thought they might go into arthroplasty but did not,” Dailey said.
According to Dailey, both men and women ranked general interest in mentorship as a high reason to subspecialize in orthopedics. However, statistical analysis revealed that this did not significantly differ between men and women.
“Interestingly, exposure to occupational hazards did not significantly differ between men and women, nor was it ranked either moderate or high by the majority,” Daily said. “In fact, radiation exposure was a higher concern than bone cement exposure for both.”
Although physical labor expectations were not significantly different between men and women, Dailey said work-life balance approached significance. The perception of work-life balance was also significantly different among physicians initially interested in arthroplasty, particularly among younger surgeons vs. older surgeons, according to Dailey.
“Since [work-life balance] was the only factor approaching significance when we were comparing men and women and it was a factor for younger generations, I think that we need to look at this for future studies as to what does that mean for people and also what we can do to help,” Dailey said.
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Dailey EA, et al. Paper 40. Presented at: American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting; Nov. 7-10, 2024; Dallas.
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