Gender Discrimination Against Female Surgeons May Pass Unrecognized: A Study in a Lower-Middle-Income Country

Due to an increasing spotlight, gender discrimination (GD) is identified and reported in many aspects of surgical training and practice in the developed world 1, 2. In contrast, lower-middle-income countries like Pakistan lack awareness and strategies to counteract GD, which manifests as a lack of females in leadership and academic positions, and pay inequities. GD often occurs insidiously, as a result of complex interplay between societal norms, gender stereotypes and learned behaviors. Thus, our study identifies how GD is perceived and reported by surgeons in Pakistan.