Geschlechterbalance in Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie – Status quo

In both the business and scientific fields, there is a general imbalance favoring men, rooted in various social and societal facets. Despite almost two-thirds of medical students being women, the representation of women in orthopedics and trauma surgery is generally low.

The goal of this article is to present the current state of gender equality in management positions and leading roles in the medical field, particularly in specialist societies, at universities/research institutions and in specialist training.

Data were collected for the period December 2023 to January 2024 from various sources, including the German Federal Statistical Office, the German Health Monitoring Reporting System, the German Medical Association, websites of all university hospitals and specialist societies and congress organisers.

With regard to medical students and doctorates, the percentage of women continues to increase, but does not continue into their professional careers. This applies to clinical positions and in specialist societies. Thus, it is important to support young physicians in their choices in order to favour orthopedics and trauma surgery and to make this career path attractive.