Female representation and position based on facts and members views in the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP).

BACKGROUND There is wide variation in gender distribution in colorectal surgery across different European countries. OBJECTIVE To evaluate female representation, implicit bias and members' perception on female participation and representation at the European Society of ColoProctology 2017 annual scientific meeting. DESIGN This was a retrospective mixed-methods cross-sectional observational study. SETTINGS The study was conducted using data from the 2017 ESCP annual scientific meeting program and attendees. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome measure was the percentage of female speakers in the formal program and assessment for implicit bias. Secondary outcomes were the percentage of women attending the conference, serving on committees, and the results of the online survey. METHODS Female representation was retrospectively quantified by role, session type, and topic. Implicit bias was measured classifying the introductions of speakers by moderators as formal (using a professional title) or informal (using name only), then further stratified by gender. An online survey was disseminated and analyzed to investigate the members' perception as a benchmark analysis. RESULTS Disparities were found between sexes, with less women attending the conference (25%), serving as session chairs (8%), speakers (21%), and on committees (10%) compared to men. There were no differences across sexes regarding the formal or informal introduction. Survey amongst our members showed significantly fewer women felt equally endorsed within the society compared to men (33% versus 63%, respectively, p<0.001). LIMITATIONS Retrospective design with data available to be analyzed limited by sessions recorded (27/49) and survey respondents (28%). CONCLUSIONS Female representation within European Society of ColoProctology as chair, speaker, attendee and committee member was much lower than male representation- both in absolute numbers and relative to membership. Greater awareness of this disparity and inclusiveness are aims of our society. The impact of these initiatives will be determined by reevaluating these metrics at the 2020 annual meeting.