Growth Characteristics of Woman Radiation Oncologists in South Asia: Assessment of Gender Neutrality and Leadership Position.

Purpose/objective(s) Historically south Asia had the second highest gender disparity in the world which reflected in professional attributes, like medical practice as well. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth pattern and leadership position of woman radiation oncologists (WRO) in South Asia; and, if applicable, forecast the time required to achieve gender neutrality in these countries. Materials/methods Out of the eight countries - viz., Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh (BD), India (IN), Nepal (NP), Pakistan (PK) and Sri Lanka (SL) constituting South Asia, only the last five countries have radiation oncology (RO) facilities. To calculate the growth pattern of oncologists, registration data from national associations in IN, BD, NP and SL were analyzed. PK has none and hence we used data from published literature. Growth rate of WRO and male radiation oncologists (MRO) were calculated based on time function of registration of ROs of different sexes. Based upon calculated growth rate, numbers of WROs and MROs are forecasted for next 10 years. Number of WROs in leadership position was derived from multiple sources. Results The total number of oncologists in the region was 4074 with 91.8% of it belonging to IN. Ratio of WRO to MRO was 1: 2 (1370 WROs and 2704 MROs). Incremental annual growth in the number of WROs was the highest in India (12.7/yr) and the least in Nepal (0.4/yr) with no data available for Pakistan. With the current growth rate, Indian radiation oncologist community will achieve a gender neutrality by 2027. For other countries, gender neutrality is unlikely in foreseeable future with present growth rate of WRO and MRO and their existing numbers at present. Leadership position: Presently WROs lead ≈ 64 of the 430 centers (≈15%) in IN, while the corresponding figures are BD = 1, NP = 0, SL = 1, and PK = 0. Conclusion In all the South Asian countries, patriarchal values and social norms keep gender inequalities alive. Gender equality is a human right which is a must for sustained growth in a peaceful society. With the gender equality index ≈50%, south Asia is the 2nd highest gender disparity region in the world marginally above East-North Africa. With the present growth rates of WROs and MROs, India will achieve the gender equality within a decade; however, rest of the countries may not achieve so in the near future. Presently the % of WRO in IN is better than the developed nation like United States where population of WRO is 26%. Analysis of RO registration with national body reveals radiation oncology is a preferred choice of super specialization for woman clinicians, with an encouraging growth observed in the last 5 yrs compared to previous decades, especially in BD, SL and IN.