2026/07/16 by Abdullah Altaf, Mujtaba Khalil, Miho Akabane +5
paper · doi:10.1097/xcs.0000000000001865
BACKGROUND: A surgical lifestyle may challenge the balance between professional responsibilities and personal life. We sought to define the impact of being a surgeon on the likelihood of parenthood. STUDY DESIGN: The American Community Survey database was queried from 2018 to 2022 to investigate trends in parenthood among surgeons, non-surgeon physicians, and the general US population. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with parenthood. RESULTS: Among 3,385 surgeons and 52,758 non-surgeon physicians, 50.6% vs 46.0% were parents, respectively (relative risk 1.10, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.14). The US general population had a markedly lower prevalence of parenthood (relative risk 0.58, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.58). Surgeons were more likely to be married (83.3% vs 78.2% vs 42.7%) and had higher annual income vs physicians and the US population (390,000 [130,000 to 512,000] vs 200,200 [86,200 to 400,000] and 36,100 [11,600 to 96,000], respectively; p CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons had a higher likelihood of parenthood vs non-surgeon physicians and the general US population. The odds of being a parent varied on the basis of sex, marital status, and annual income. Female surgeons were less likely to be parents while working longer hours and earning a lower annual income.