The Menu
Appetiser
A Gastronomic Overture of Triumph
The eager wait comes to an end as the appetiser is served – a symphony of success stories that resonate like harmonious melodies. Within the realm of orthopaedics, each beautifully crafted hors d'oeuvre paints a picture of resilience, determination, and the grit of women who have successfully carved their names in a historically male-dominated field.
As she immerses herself in the appetiser, unspoken camaraderie between the trailblazing women in the field greets her with a sense of connection. Mentorship – the passing down of this torch of ambition and perseverance paves the way for many aspiring orthopods like her to unfold the canvases of their careers. She savours each morsel of achievement recognised and efforts validated; all of which renew her sense of purpose in the field.
With each bite, the appetiser also tantalises the success and breakthroughs in this innovative field, helping countless to not only regain their mobility, but also allowing grandparents to dance with their grandchildren once more, allowing athletes to break world records once more, and allowing transformation to take its rightful place.
Main Course
The Overcooked Dish
After an endearing start, the main course is served – a dish complex in its composition and presentation, carefully curated with the intricate layers of being a female orthopaedic surgeon.
Akin to a chef orchestrating a culinary masterpiece, she navigates her skills with precision in the operating theatre, blending the art of healing with the science of surgery. Yet, part of the experience: a growingly charred aftertaste - questions about her capability linger as she is dished a hefty serving of administrative tasks, overpowering the fleeting taste of success.
With the sizzle of the surgical suite, the tension of the operating table, and the relentless working hours experienced inadvertently by 63% of orthopods, 58% of them being female¹, the pressure cooker comes closer to exploding. Amidst the chaos, the lack of support becomes painstakingly obvious.
Exhaustion simmers on the back burner as she gleans how they navigate the overwhelming ordeal of inadequate maternity leave policies and scarce childcare facilities. As the banquet unfolds, it becomes evident that female orthopaedic surgeons are more susceptible to the burnout that brews in the kitchen. The stress, the frustration, and the feeling of being underappreciated all contribute to this overcooked dish of burnout.
Ensuring the right length of cooking time is as crucial to a meal as balance is to professional satisfaction and personal well-being. Nevertheless, senior chefs work tirelessly to create an environment where the banquet is enjoyed, not endured, allowing every surgeon to savour the true essence of their craft.
Dessert
A Bitter Reality
As the feast continues, there is an unsettling sensation once dessert arrives; a sense of unfairness in the way its colours are presented. Mirroring its appearance, its taste adds an unpleasant note to the menu. It resembled a culinary disaster with burnt edges, and a persistent undercurrent of gender bias tainted the entire dish.
The dismissive attitudes, condescending remarks, and sour notes of microaggressions to overt hostility create a toxic environment that dissuades countless who would have otherwise flourished in this transformative field of surgery.
Like an invisible seasoning that flavours every interaction, female orthopaedic surgeons often find themselves being served smaller portions, regardless of their dedication and competence. Wage disparities underscore this unappetising reality, with data from the Australian Taxation Office reporting a salary difference of over $280,000 between male and female orthopaedic surgeons². With orthopaedics having the second highest pay gap amongst all surgical specialties³, the unpalatable truth is that the wages they receive are not commensurate with their skills and efforts.
As she savours the last bites of this introspective dessert, she recognises that the dessert is not an ending but a beginning – a call to action. The flavour of scepticism reminds her of the importance of her presence in the field. Afterall, a monotonous dish can be created by anyone, but the ability to curate well-balanced excellence lies only in the hands of someone like her – hands that have persevered through indescribable hardship, forging a strength capable of shattering the walls of misogyny. Unsavoury 'ugliness' is being transformed as female orthopods advocate for their freedom to taste success without the bitter aftertaste of inequality, bias, and harassment.
Finally, she puts down her knife, not with disappointment or doubt, but with pride at having performed yet another successful operation while reflecting on the culture shift she has brought about and the future generations of trailblazers she has inspired.
References:
1. Kollias, C., Conyard, C., Formosa, M. F., Page, R., & Incoll, I. (2023). Distress and career regret among Australian orthopaedic surgical trainees. The Medical Journal of Australia, 218(6), 265–266.
https://doi.org/10.5694/MJA2.51823
2. Biased referral patterns show male physicians refer more patients to male surgeons than female surgeons. (2021). Retrieved September 12, 2023, from
https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2021/november/biased-referral-patterns-show-male-physicians-refer-more-patients-to-male-surgeons-than-female-surgeons
3. Halim, U. A., Qureshi, A., Dayaji, S., Ahmad, S., Qureshi, M. K., Hadi, S., & Younis, F. (2023). Orthopaedics and the gender pay gap: A systematic review. The Surgeon.
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SURGE.2023.02.003