PURPOSE: To quantify departmental resources available to female plastic surgeons and identify remaining barriers to advancement for women in academic plastic surgery.
METHODS: Academic plastic surgery departments were identified and a female faculty member or male program director was selected. Representatives were surveyed on their department’s resources for promoting women leaders. An optional follow-up interview discussed current barriers to women seeking leadership positions.
RESULTS: 49 of 93 survey recipients participated (52.7% response rate). Departments on average provided 2.69 of 11 resources (Table 1). Departments with female chairs provided 4.30 resources vs. 2.26 resources at departments with male chairs (p=0.014). Departments with female program directors provided 4.45 resources vs. 2.22 resources at departments with male program directors (p=0.006). Of the 49 survey respondents, 9 completed the interview (18.4% completion rate). The most frequently identified barriers to aspiring women leaders (Table 2) were opaque promotion criteria (cited by 66.7% of interviewees), compensation disparities (55.6%), faculty homogeneity (55.6%), and motherhood bias (55.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a female chair or program director is associated with a greater quantity of resources for promoting female leaders. Remaining barriers to women ascending to academic leadership include compensation and promotion disparities, faculty homogeneity, and motherhood bias.