Gender Equity in Surgical Academia in Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf Region

Abstract

Gender equity has been a topic of interest in medicine for decades; however, it has extended to include surgery, a field that has been dominated by men for centuries. Nowadays, gender inequity in surgery is a worldwide issue that needs to be addressed since significant disparities exist in the surgical field compared to the medical one. In this chapter, authors introduce the current status of Kuwait and the Gulf region regarding gender equality, and outline the history of women surgeons in the region. The evolution of medical education in surgery and the evolution of the healthcare system and how these relate to gender equity in surgical academia is presented. Challenges related to the uniqueness of the Arabic and the Islamic culture and the future directions of where the field of surgery is headed in relation to gender equity is discussed.