abstract: 'Background This study aimed to highlight cultural barriers faced by

  surgeons pursuing a surgical career faced by surgeons at a tertiary care

  hospital in Pakistan. As more females opt for a surgical career,

  barriers faced by female surgeons are becoming increasingly evident,

  many of which are rooted in cultural norms. In Pakistan, a predominantly

  Muslim-majority, low middle-income country, certain societal

  expectations add additionally complexity and challenges to existing

  cultural barriers. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered via

  e-mail to the full-time faculty and trainees in the Department of

  Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from

  July 2019 to November 2019. Results In total, 100 participants were

  included in this study, with the majority being residents (55.6\%) and

  consultants (33.3\%). 71.9\% of female surgeons felt that cultural

  barriers towards a surgical career existed for their gender, as compared

  to 25.4\% of male surgeons (p < 0.001). 40.6\% of females reported

  having been discouraged by family/close friends from pursuing surgery,

  as compared to only 9.0\% of males (p < 0.001). Moreover, a greater

  percentage of females surgeons were responsible for household cooking,

  cleaning and laundry, as compared to male surgeons (all p < 0.001).

  Lastly, 71.4\% of female surgeons felt that having children had hindered

  their surgical career, as compared to 4.8\% of males (p < 0001).

  Conclusion Our study shows that significant cultural barriers exist for

  females pursuing a surgical career in our setting. Findings such as

  these emphasize the need for policy makers to work towards overcoming

  cultural barriers.'
affiliation: 'Malik, MA (Corresponding Author), Aga Khan Univ Hosp, Dept Surg, Stadium
  Rd, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.

  Inam, Hina; Zahid, Nida; Khan, Sadaf; Sattar, Abida K.; Darbar, Aneela; Akram, Sharmeen;
  Faruqui, Nuzhat; Khan, Shaista M.; Lakhani, Gulzar; Enam, Ather; Malik, Mahim A.,
  Aga Khan Univ Hosp, Dept Surg, Stadium Rd, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.

  Janjua, Mahin; Martins, Russell S.; Gillani, Mishal; Hashmi, Syeda Amrah, Aga Khan
  Univ Hosp, Stadium Rd, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.

  Haider, Adil H., Aga Khan Univ Hosp, Med Coll, Stadium Rd, Karachi 74800, Pakistan.'
author: Inam, Hina and Janjua, Mahin and Martins, Russell S. and Zahid, Nida and Khan,
  Sadaf and Sattar, Abida K. and Darbar, Aneela and Akram, Sharmeen and Faruqui, Nuzhat
  and Khan, Shaista M. and Lakhani, Gulzar and Gillani, Mishal and Hashmi, Syeda Amrah
  and Enam, Ather and Haider, Adil H. and Malik, Mahim A.
author-email: mahim.malik@aku.edu
author_list:
- family: Inam
  given: Hina
- family: Janjua
  given: Mahin
- family: Martins
  given: Russell S.
- family: Zahid
  given: Nida
- family: Khan
  given: Sadaf
- family: Sattar
  given: Abida K.
- family: Darbar
  given: Aneela
- family: Akram
  given: Sharmeen
- family: Faruqui
  given: Nuzhat
- family: Khan
  given: Shaista M.
- family: Lakhani
  given: Gulzar
- family: Gillani
  given: Mishal
- family: Hashmi
  given: Syeda Amrah
- family: Enam
  given: Ather
- family: Haider
  given: Adil H.
- family: Malik
  given: Mahim A.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s00268-020-05544-9
earlyaccessdate: MAY 2020
eissn: 1432-2323
files: []
issn: 0364-2313
journal: WORLD JOURNAL OF SURGERY
keywords-plus: GENDER-DIFFERENCES; PHYSICIANS; BURNOUT; HEALTH
language: English
month: SEP
number: '9'
number-of-cited-references: '32'
orcid-numbers: 'Zahid, Nida/0000-0001-8812-9463

  sattar, abida K./0000-0002-9836-7825'
pages: 2870-2878
papis_id: 606ae2b21921d67332c3f96999391c60
ref: Inam2020culturalbarriers
researcherid-numbers: 'Martins, Russell Seth/HDN-7193-2022

  faruqui, nuzhat/AAS-2378-2021

  Zahid, Nida/M-2696-2019

  '
times-cited: '19'
title: 'Cultural Barriers for Women in Surgery: How Thick is the Glass Ceiling? An
  Analysis from a Low Middle-Income Country'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000530593800001
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '2'
volume: '44'
web-of-science-categories: Surgery
year: '2020'