Title
Barriers and opportunities for female participation in orthopedic surgery: An Indian perspective
Authors
Deepak Kumar, Shah Waliullah, Sanjiv Kumar, Vishal Singh, Sujeet Kumar Chaudhary* & Ashish Kumar
Affiliation
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India; *Corresponding author
Deepak Kumar - E-mail: drdeepakkumarkgmc@gmail.com
Shah Waliullah - E-mail: shahwali2008@gmail.com
Sanjiv Kumar - E-mail: sanjeevkumar98@gmail.com
Vishal Singh - E-mail: vshal.mpr@gmail.com
Sujeet Kumar Chaudhary - E-mail: skchaudhary404@gmail.com
Ashish Kumar - E-mail: drashish_kumar@Indiatimes.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received July 1, 2025; Revised July 31, 2025; Accepted July 31, 2025, Published July 31, 2025
Abstract
Orthopedic surgery remains one of the least gender-diverse medical specialties in India, with women comprising only about 1% of the workforce. Therefore, it is of interest to explore the barriers that deter female medical students and early-career doctors from pursuing orthopedics, including lack of mentorship, perceived physical demands, gender bias, and concerns over work-life balance. A cross-sectional survey of 250 female trainees across India revealed low interest in orthopedics despite recognition of its financial and career potential. Societal stereotypes and absence of female role models significantly influenced career preferences. Addressing these barriers through structured mentorship, inclusivity in training, and gender-sensitive reforms may improve female representation in orthopedics.
Keywords
Women in orthopedics, gender bias, career choice, medical education, mentorship, work-life balance
Citation
Kumar et al. Bioinformation 21(7): 1813-1816 (2025)
Edited by
P Kangueane
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
