Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, yet less than 10% of heart and lung surgeons in the U.S. are women, according to a recent New York Times report that looked into gender disparities in cardiothoracic surgery.
Over 200 medical professionals, including fellows and interns, gathered this month for the second annual Women in Thoracic Surgery conference, which featured sessions on parental leave policies and how to negotiate for better pay. Nearly 60 of them were surgeons.
They said that, on average, they make 20% less than men with the same level of experience and face barriers to promotions and mentorship. They also recounted dealing with sexual harassment on the job and trying to achieve work-life balance while working 80-hour weeks.
It’s promising that 25% of cardiothoracic interns, residents and fellows are women, but the demands of the role mean that attrition is high.
“Cardiothoracic surgery had a reputation, which is fading but probably not gone, as the toughest, meanest and the most macho specialty,” Dr. Leslie Kohman told the Times. The 76-year-old was a cardiac surgeon at SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., before becoming the hospital’s chief wellness officer.
More than 60 million women in the U.S. are living with some form of heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in 2023 it claimed the lives of 304,970 women.
A recent Mayo Clinic study also found that many heart attacks in people under 65 – especially women – are caused by other factors besides clogged arteries. More than half of heart attacks in women under 65 were caused by spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), embolism and other conditions that are not related to artery-clogging plaque, according to the research.
“This research shines a spotlight on heart attack causes that have historically been under-recognized, particularly in women,” said Dr. Claire Raphael, an interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and an author of the study. “Understanding why a heart attack happened is just as important as treating it. It can mean the difference between recovery and recurrence.”