The study Women in cardiac surgery: A global workforce analysis by Izumi et al. [1] provides important insights into women’s representation in the field of cardiac surgery worldwide and offers a useful benchmark for initiating policy to drive gender balance in cardiac surgery. The authors address under-representation, unequal remuneration, work–life imbalances, impaired access to networks, social safety and a few other challenges in our field that all can be categorized under the DEI umbrella: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

One cannot address Diversity and not address Equity: you will attract diverse professionals who are more likely to leave the field because they will feel they have less opportunity and greater barriers than others. Therefore, measures such as addressing pay gaps and taking work–life balance into the equation are vital to retain and grow diverse talents. Also, one cannot address Diversity and not address Inclusion: you will attract diverse professionals who are more likely leave because they feel left out, socially unsafe and face barriers to enter our formal and informal networks, unable to become an active part of our community.