The Polish Society of Surgeons has come under fire after announcing misogynistic debate titles for its upcoming congress, questioning women’s place in the profession. With accusations of sexism and exclusion now reaching beyond the medical community, the Society issued a statement “apologising to all who felt offended” and confirming that the debate titles had been changed.
Controversial debate titles such as “Men vs Women: Should women be surgeons? Pros and cons,” and “Women vs Men: Who in Polish surgery works harder, and who is more privileged?” were initially proposed for the programme of the upcoming 72nd Congress of the Polish Society of Surgeons, to be held in Poland.
“If you look at a title, this is not a neutral debate subject, but a coded form of exclusion,” Dr Małgorzata Osmola, President of the Polki w Medycynie (Women in Medicine) Foundation, told Euractiv. “It reduces the presence of women in surgery to something controversial and presents them as a ‘problem to be considered’ rather than as fully recognised professionals.”
Debate under fire
The 72nd Congress of the Polish Society of Surgeons is scheduled to take place on 22–25 October. As the organisers explained, the programme traditionally features scientific and professional topics selected by the society’s individual sections.
This year, however, the inclusion of panel titles questioning women’s role in surgery drew a wave of criticism. Dozens of comments poured in from female doctors, gender equality NGOs and medical associations.
The Women in Surgery Foundation, which has long campaigned against discrimination of women in surgical and other medical fields, stressed: “This debate not only reinforces harmful stereotypes, but also undermines the achievements and presence of women in surgery – a field where they have been working with success and professionalism for decades. Such panels, regardless of intention, should not be organised under the auspices of the Polish Society of Surgeons.”
In response to criticism, the society published an official statement: “We wish to explain, and apologise to all who felt offended by the unfortunate choice of titles. Our intention was never to depreciate any group, but to enable an open and honest discussion about how to build a culture of respect, equality and inclusiveness in surgery. We deeply believe that surgery has no gender, and that its real strength lies in the competencies, passion and dedication of every surgeon.”
The clarification was signed by Prof. Krzysztof Zieniewicz, President of the Polish Society of Surgeons, together with Prof. Katarzyna Kuśnierz, Chair of the Women in Surgery session. The controversial panel was renamed: “Surgery without barriers: a conversation on challenges and equal opportunities in professional development.”
Discrimination persists
The controversy comes against the backdrop of broader evidence on gender bias in Polish medicine.
A 2021 survey on discrimination of women in medical professions, carried out by the Polki w Medycynie Foundation and the portal Remedium.md, showed that 82.6% of female respondents considered gender discrimination a widespread problem in healthcare, and 73.5% said they had personally experienced it during work or studies. Alarmingly, for more than 90% of participants, these experiences occurred at medical school.
“Although the European medical community underlines inclusivity, in Poland the measures carried out remain insufficient,” Dr Osmola said. “Gender equality plans, mandated by the EU, are mostly a fiction in the medical sector. Top positions at universities and health institutions are still largely held by men, even though women make up 75% of the medical workforce.”
She added that awareness among doctors and society remains low, particularly in recognising discriminatory behaviours such as sexist jokes or offering adequate support to victims.
“In most cases, so-called anti-discrimination procedures exist only on paper. Doctors are asked to sign a statement confirming training, but the training itself never takes place.”
In her view, inclusive debates at medical conferences are essential. However, rather than framing women and men against each other, the focus should be on designing medical careers that support women, parents and minority groups, while also fostering a better environment for patients.
(VA, BM)
