In the Republic of Ireland (ROI), 8% of public cardiology consultants are female; the lowest proportion in Europe, despite more females entering the medical workforce. The Medical Workforce Report 2020–211 stated that cardiology had the lowest female consultant ratio of any medical sub-speciality.1 Although, Northern Ireland (NI) is part of the UK, NI and ROI share an ‘all island’ professional society called the Irish Cardiac Society (ICS). Although there are currently no data as to the female consultant ratios in NI, it is likely similar to both the UK (13% female consultants2) and ROI.
Several publications examining the gender gap in cardiology globally2–5 have aimed to find solutions to improve gender discrepancy. Although Ireland ranks in the top 10 most genderequal countries in the world, with almost gender parity on educational attainment (99.8%) and Health and Survival (96.4%),6 this does not translate into cardiology. We sought to understand the perceptions of Irish trainees and consultants on aspects of working in cardiology to identify areas that can target this disparity.
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