Advancing Women in Orthopaedic Surgery: New Insights and Strategies for Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Coaching

Women remain significantly underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery, and current evidence shows persistent disparities in mentorship access, career advancement, leadership representation, compensation, and workplace treatment. This narrative review synthesizes contemporary perspectives on mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching as complementary strategies to improve recruitment, retention, and professional development for women in orthopaedics. Effective mentorship—both formal and informal—supports psychosocial and career growth, yet female trainees and surgeons frequently lack access to mentors within the field. Evolving multimodal mentorship models, including structured programs within national orthopaedic organizations, demonstrate potential for transformative relationships and long-term career satisfaction. Sponsorship provides distinct, opportunity-driven advocacy essential for advancement, particularly for women who may be overlooked or under-recognized within traditional academic structures. Coaching, which emphasizes inquiry, self-awareness, and purpose-driven development, has been shown to enhance performance, leadership, and well-being while reducing burnout. Integrating these strategies as evidence-based, intentional components of professional development may help orthopaedic surgery cultivate a more diverse workforce and improve the experience and success of women across all career stages. 1 Mentorship, sponsorship, and coaching each fulfill distinct roles in supporting women’s advancement in orthopaedic surgery; combining them provides the greatest benefit across career stages. 2 Women in orthopaedics experience persistent systemic barriers—including inequitable access to mentorship, higher rates of mistreatment, and limited leadership opportunities—necessitating structured, evidence-based interventions. 3 Multimodal mentorship models used in national programs demonstrate that structured and organic mentoring relationships can evolve into transformational, enduring professional support. 4 Sponsorship provides essential career-advancing opportunities, especially for women who may be less likely to be identified as protégés without intentional systems. 5 Coaching improves performance, leadership, self-awareness, and well-being, and is an evidence-supported tool to reduce burnout among women in surgical fields.