Sustaining momentum in gender equity: Lessons from the women in European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy initiative
Women remain underrepresented in orthopedic surgery, accounting for only 13% of surgeons in Europe despite forming the majority of physicians overall. Structural barriers, including limited mentorship and work-life challenges, continue to hinder progress. To address these issues, the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) launched the Women in ESSKA initiative in 2018, fostering mentorship, leadership and visibility. Female membership and congress participation have since more than doubled, reflecting steady progress. Sustained equity efforts must extend beyond participation numbers to include transparent leadership pathways and fair representation in authorship and decision-making. True progress will depend on collaboration between women and men alike, ensuring that gender equity in orthopedics strengthens, not replaces, the core value of merit-based excellence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.
Authors
- Elizaveta Kon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0649-2336)
- Pim van Dijk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8023-7571)
- Lorenz Pichler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9848-778X)
- Katja Tecklenburg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0122-9432)
- Laura de Girolamo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9979-3092)
- Mette Renate Andersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1917-8565)
- Berte Bøe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6774-2194)
- Elizabeth A. Arendt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6944-7332)
- Maristella Francesca Saccomanno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7399-8762)
- Guri Ranum Ekås (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3677-1101)
Institutions
- Oslo University Hospital (NO)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Humanitas University (IT)
- University of Oslo (NO)
- Akershus University Hospital (NO)
- Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
- Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Aleris Hamlet Hospital (DK)
- Academic Center for Evidence-Based Sports Medicine (NL)
- Istituto Clinico Sant'Ambrogio (IT)
- Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (NO)
- Medalp Imst - Zentrum für ambulante Chirurgie Betriebs (AT)
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital (IT)
- Medical University of Vienna (AT)
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology Arthroscopy
- Published
- 2025-10-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ksa.70157
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Diversity and Career in Medicine
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.87