Gender-related differences in the career of Austrian intramural ophthalmologists

Summary Background Significant gender disparities in ophthalmology have been shown in the past. This is the first study to evaluate the medical landscape and gender-diversity trends in Austrian intramural ophthalmology. Methods The questionnaire included items on the career path of the department head followed by questions on the number of ophthalmologists working in the department and finally tables where the surgical specialization for each surgeon had to be selected. Results A high response rate of 92% was achieved. Overall, 24% of department heads were female. No significant differences were found between the percentages of male and female ophthalmologists ( p = 0.112). Although the number of male and female surgeons was comparable, there were significantly more male surgeons were in refractive, cataract, glaucoma, and vitreoretinal surgery ( p = 0.023, p = 0.009, p = 0.024, p = 0.029, respectively). A significantly higher number of male residents performed cataract surgery unsupervised ( p = 0.033). There were significantly more female glaucoma and vitreoretinal surgeons in departments with female heads ( p = 0.025, p = 0.015, respectively). Conclusion Female ophthalmologists are still a minority when it comes to leadership roles. Significant differences regarding surgical training and sub-specialization exist between male and female intramural ophthalmologists in Austria. In the future, measures should be undertaken to engender progress toward gender equality.