Supporting Women in Ophthalmology: A Specialty Moving Toward True Equity

Gender imbalance within surgical specialties has long been recognised. Despite steady increases in the number of women entering medical school, most surgical specialties remain male-dominated, particularly at consultant level. According to the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) and its Women in Surgery (WinS) data dashboard, women account for only around 40% of surgical trainees and approximately 17% of consultant surgeons in the UK, depending on specialty. These figures have changed little over the past decade, and although initiatives such as WinS have improved visibility and mentorship, gender balance has advanced more gradually in surgery than across medicine overall.