Background: Women are under-represented in surgery and leave training in higher proportions than men. Studies in this area are without a feminist lens and predominantly use quantitative methods not well suited to the complexity of the problem. Methods: In this qualitative study, a researcher interviewed women who had chosen to leave surgical training.
Background: Clinical and preclinical studies have shown that there are sex-based differences at the genetic, cellular, biochemical, and physiological levels. Despite this, numerous studies have shown poor levels of inclusion of female populations into medical research. These disparities in sex inclusion in research are further complicated by the absence of sufficient reporting and analysis by sex of study populations. Disparities in the inclusion of the sexes in medical research substantially reduce the utility of the results of such research for the entire population.
Feminism is a social movement that promotes gender equality and social justice for all individuals, regardless of gender identification.
This special issue from The Lancet focusses on SDG 5 (gender equality) within science, medicine, and global health, contributing to SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing). This issue also contributes to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).