Introduction: Family and work have immensely changed and become intertwined over the past half century for both men and women. Additionally, alongside to traditional family structures prevalent,... Show moreIntroduction: Family and work have immensely changed and become intertwined over the past half century for both men and women. Additionally, alongside to traditional family structures prevalent, other forms of families such as single parents, LGBTQ + parents, and bonus families are becoming more common. Previous studies have shown that surgical trainees regularly leave residency when considering becoming a parent due to the negative stigma associated with pregnancy during training, dissatisfaction with parental leave options, inadequate lactation and childcare support, and desire for greater mentorship on work-life integration. Indeed, parenthood is one of the factors contributing to attrition in surgical specialities, neurosurgery not being an exception.Research question: The Diversity in Neurosurgery Committee (DC) of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) recognizes the challenges individuals face in parenthood with neurosurgery and wishes to address them in this white paper.Materials and methods: In the following sections, the authors will focus on the issues pertaining to family planning and neurosurgical practice during pregnancy in itemized fashion based on an exhaustive literature search and will make recommendations to address the matters raised.Results: Potential solutions would be to further improve the work-family time ration as well as improving working conditions in the hospital.Discussion and conclusion: While many obstacles have been quoted in the literature pertaining to parenthood in medicine, and in neurosurgery specifically, initiatives can and should be undertaken to ensure not only retention of colleagues, but also to increase productivity and job satisfaction of those seeking to combine neurosurgery and a family life, regardless of their sexual identity and orientation. Show less
Hernandez-Duran, S.; Murphy, M.; Kim, E.; Al-Shehhi, N.; Broekman, M.; Praeter, M. de; ... ; Rosseau, G. 2021
Neurosurgery as a distinct speciality has been around for 100 years. Some of the earliest women neurosurgeons were European, emerging from the 19200s onwards. Here we detail the rise of women in... Show moreNeurosurgery as a distinct speciality has been around for 100 years. Some of the earliest women neurosurgeons were European, emerging from the 19200s onwards. Here we detail the rise of women in neurosurgery across Europe with a decade by decade account of big events and firsts across the continent. The emerging themes are seen in stories of pioneers with enormous resilience, camaraderie, trailblazing and triumphing in a system with great obstacles and challenges. Our journey through this chronology brings us to the modern day, where most European countries have or have had a woman neurosurgeon and the future for women in neurosurgery in the continent is very bright. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Show less
Murphy, M.; Hernandez-Duran, S.; Kim, E.; Al-Shehhi, N.; Broekman, M.; Praeter, M. de; ... ; Rosseau, G. 2021
A collaborative global working group of women neurosurgeons in multiple countries at different stages of their neurosurgical careers undertook the task of researching the history of European women... Show moreA collaborative global working group of women neurosurgeons in multiple countries at different stages of their neurosurgical careers undertook the task of researching the history of European women in neurosurgery. While doing so, we happened upon many remarkable female neurosurgeons who overcame great adversity, made tremendous contributions to society and institutional neurosurgery, and displayed numerous talents beyond the operating room. In the first part of this paper, we recounted a chronology of female neurosurgeons in Europe, highlighting the most remarkable achievements of women in every decade, from the 1920 & rsquo;s to 2020. In this paper, we honor fascinating women in European neurosurgery, both historical characters and living legends. These women have overcome great adversity and have also excelled in a huge variety of pursuits. While some were themselves refugees, we also have uncovered noteworthy examples of women who immersed themselves in humanitarian missions and who tried to better the world through political action. There are stories of women beating the odds, taking on biased institutions and proving their worth, in spite of the prevailing system. Most inspirational, we have discovered through our comprehensive research on the history of women in European neurosurgery that the future is increasingly female.CO 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Show less
