Women Pursuing a Neurosurgical Career in Greece

Abstract

Traditionally, neurosurgery constitutes one of the most male-dominated scientific fields owing to several factors, including social stereotypes, nonequal opportunities for higher education, and historical circumstances. Currently, with the increasing number of women in neurosurgery all over the world, this stereotype seems to be slowly but steadily disappearing. Since 1989, Women in Neurosurgery has played a vital role in introducing and promoting talented women in neurosurgery and highlighting contributions of women to academic society and medical leadership worldwide. In Greece, although the majority of men neurosurgeons accept the idea of women entering their field, the role of women seems to remain minor, especially in academic neurosurgery. In this article, we present a brief history of Greek neurosurgery, with an emphasis on the first women neurosurgeons and their contribution to neurosurgery in Greece. We have outlined the role of Greek women neurosurgeons in neurosurgical leadership through their active involvement in the administration of national and international neurosurgical societies. Furthermore, we have attempted to explore the underrepresentation of women in the Greek academic neurosurgical community and to determine whether it is associated with lurking gender discrimination or deep-rooted social prejudice. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.