Leading the Way: What Female Facial Plastic Surgeons Want the Next Generation to Know
Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative responses from a group of senior female surgeons who hold national and institutional leadership positions, including residency program directors, department vice chairs, division chiefs, and fellowship directors.
Their reflections surfaced five recurring challenges:
The assertiveness trap. Female surgeons must constantly navigate a double bind: assertive leadership traits are rewarded in the OR, but colleagues and staff often prefer warmth and communal behaviors from women. Managing this tension requires near-constant social awareness, a burden their male peers rarely share.
Impostor syndrome. Research cited in the article found that women score significantly higher than men on impostor syndrome measures across more than 42,000 respondents, and that gap hasn't narrowed despite progress in gender equity. Many of these leaders described hesitating to self-promote early in their careers, even when qualified.
Work-life imbalance. These surgeons are managing clinical, academic, administrative, mentorship, and family responsibilities simultaneously, and feeling the emotional weight of each. Studies show that household labor falls disproportionately on women even in dual-earner households, and that this directly slows career advancement.
Mentorship burnout. With few senior women in surgical leadership, those who have advanced are stretched thin. The growing number of female trainees — who understandably seek out female mentors — places a heavy, often uncompensated burden on an already small group.
Outdated institutional structures. Academic medicine's traditional "triple threat" model (high-volume clinician, educator, and researcher) is increasingly unsustainable, and its metrics tend to penalize women whose peak productivity arrives later in their careers due to childbearing and caregiving responsibilities.
Despite all of this, the surgeons overwhelmingly described their leadership roles as among the most meaningful of their careers. Leadership gave them a platform to advocate, influence institutional culture, develop new skills, and create real pathways for the women coming up behind them.
Their message to the next generation is clear: the era of silent self-sacrifice should be over. Future female leaders should feel empowered to say no without apology, pursue work that aligns with their individual strengths, and expect honesty from mentors.
Read the full article on Sage Journals’ website here (link opens in new tab).
