Harder?

[KimR]

Do you think that it is harder for women to become doctors than men?

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[nicolette]

I most definitely believe that the path to becoming a doctor is more difficult for women than men. Let's face it. The medical profession is a field that is still dominated by males so women are a minority despite the fact that many schools try to accept entering classes of equal men and women. In addition, I think women have an additional task of needing to consider when to have a family.

 

[turtleboard]

I think it is difficult to succeed in a career in medicine as a woman. As Nicolette pointed out, medicine is still largely a male-dominated profession and will probably remain so for quite some time.

However, and I quote reliable sources, admissions to medical school for women is somewhat easier than for men because practically all medical schools actively recruit women.


Tim of New York City.

 

[KimR]

Will medicine change as more women enter the medical profession and move up the ranks?

 

[turtleboard]

Naturally.


Tim of New York City.

 

[UHS2002]

Interestingly, in the former Soviet Union there were more women physicians than men. Medicine there was not as highly regarded as in other countries and doctors salaries were pitifull (just about like everyone's elses...). Most of all, the prestige was not there. It was a lot more prestigious to be an engineer.

Then, let's take nursing, a profession were women are in the overwhelming majority. Do I really need to make the argument that, until very recently, it was not a highly regarded profession?! As nursing became more technologically complex, and thus nurses started to be seen as more than "doctors'maids", men began entering the profession in greater numbers (still a minority though).

There seems to be a difference in "perceived importance and prestige" between professions that are traditionally "male" and those which are traditionally "female".

All this been said, medical schools are accepting females in record numbers, and many classes are almost 50/50 (a far cry for the seventies and before). This coincides with a period in which doctors are fighting for their autonomy vis-a-vis managed care, doctor's income relative to 20 years ago is dropping (although still pretty darn good!) and people have a lot less respect for the medical profession...

 

[avi newman]

i agree, amd think your comments are very perceptive....avi

 

[MD 03]

I am in my first year at a Canadian medical school and I personally think it is more emotionally difficult for a woman to be a doctor, simply because you are torn between a demanding profession and your family.

For Tim, I would be interested to know how you come about your evidence that med schools actively recruit females. Checking the available stats on the web for the past 3 years as an undergrad, I have always seen that the accepted male:female ratio pretty much matches the applications male:female ratio.

 

[Arsenic]

 

[toofache32]

I don't really see why a "male-dominated profession" makes it more difficult for women, just because there are more male docs?

Women have it made...they own 100% of the popo...the only trump card they will ever need.

 

[jamie]

Do you think that it is harder for women to become doctors than men?

As a new graduate, I have yet to see how it would be harder for a woman than a man (unless one is particularly sensitive and in surgery). However, I'm going into peds, which is predominantly female, so I may be a little biased.

That being said, I think it's only as hard as you let it be. (I embrace my naivete.)

 

[backrow]

I am in my first year at a Canadian medical school and I personally think it is more emotionally difficult for a woman to be a doctor, simply because you are torn between a demanding profession and your family.

For Tim, I would be interested to know how you come about your evidence that med schools actively recruit females. Checking the available stats on the web for the past 3 years as an undergrad, I have always seen that the accepted male:female ratio pretty much matches the applications male:female ratio.

WOW, I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting here.

 

[Fantasy Sports]

Not really.

The problem is, the women who accept this fact create a self-fulfilling prophecy ending up as the biggest and worst gunners in the class.

And the women who don't end up being some of the nicest people you meet.

 

[Peterock]

I think there are a lot of sides to this. I think it is easier for women to get into medical school b/c most schools do not normalize for gpa's and the majors with the lowest numbers are invariably physics/math/chemistry/ engineering /computer science (i believe biology is close to equal). I also believe these majors are also the most conceptually difficult and they are basically all sausage fests. I believe this gives female applicants a slight edge.

That being said...

I had a decrepit 74 year old ex-surgeon let me know how nice it was to see a young man walk into his office for an interview. "So many women nowadays" he said it a not too positive tone. I definitely think women have to put up with good 'ol boys and their discrimination (whether overt or subtle).

A woman who is pregnant in any work environment is going to have a tougher time than a man. If there is no bun in the oven, this becomes moot.

As for the comment about a woman having to care for her family. I'd gladly be a stay at home dad while my wife made all the cash being a physician. It's absurd to think that someone should have more responsibility to their family.

 

[Portier]

I'm doing a systematic literature review on Medical Marriages (well, I was before 2nd year took over....I'll return to it soon) and this is what my research has turned up.

Female Physicians invariably marry either another physician, or another professional.

In relationships where the other professional is a physician, the females statistically works fewer hours to spend more time with the motherly duties. The male physician tends to spend even more time working once the children are born.

In relationships where the other professional is a non-physician, the male's career takes a back seat to the female's career. The male also takes on more traditionally female roles since the career of a physician is a larger conceptual burden.

Of the people who meet someone and get married while still in medical school, the divorce rate is 60%.

Some foreign countries are stopping females from attending medical schools. These countries where medicine is socialized, and the state pays all education fees. The reasoning for this decision is that females work fewer hours during the reproductive/child rearing years and therfore the education is "wasted" on individuals who will practice fewer hours than male candidates.

Per Specialty, the worst job to have is Psychiatrist....50% divorce rate..followed closely by surgery. The best job to have to save your marriage is IM....23% divorce rate.

CAVEAT: Much of this info is taken from studies done in the 1980's and early 1990's. Also most studies are descriptive or interventional, not survey or interview based.

 

[Giving My .02]

I'm doing a systematic literature review on Medical Marriages (well, I was before 2nd year took over....I'll return to it soon) and this is what my research has turned up.

Female Physicians invariably marry either another physician, or another professional.

In relationships where the other professional is a physician, the females statistically works fewer hours to spend more time with the motherly duties. The male physician tends to spend even more time working once the children are born.

In relationships where the other professional is a non-physician, the male's career takes a back seat to the female's career. The male also takes on more traditionally female roles since the career of a physician is a larger conceptual burden.

Of the people who meet someone and get married while still in medical school, the divorce rate is 60%.

Some foreign countries are stopping females from attending medical schools. These countries where medicine is socialized, and the state pays all education fees. The reasoning for this decision is that females work fewer hours during the reproductive/child rearing years and therfore the education is "wasted" on individuals who will practice fewer hours than male candidates.

Per Specialty, the worst job to have is Psychiatrist....50% divorce rate..followed closely by surgery. The best job to have to save your marriage is IM....23% divorce rate.

CAVEAT: Much of this info is taken from studies done in the 1980's and early 1990's. Also most studies are descriptive or interventional, not survey or interview based.

That's interesting... anything that predicted divorces and what caused them when compared to the general population... work, family, etc.

 

[toofache32]

I'd gladly be a stay at home dad while my wife made all the cash being a physician.

I don't know about that. Do you have a family yet? I've done the stay-at-home-dad thing when my wife went out of town and it was tough. Moms work much harder than we do at the hospital (if they're doing it right). At least I get a day off every week and when I'm home I'm done. I don't think they get enough credit because it's not a "career" or a "profession".

 

[maia]

Some foreign countries are stopping females from attending medical schools. These countries where medicine is socialized, and the state pays all education fees. The reasoning for this decision is that females work fewer hours during the reproductive/child rearing years and therfore the education is "wasted" on individuals who will practice fewer hours than male candidates.

The State university (which carries the country's name) in our country requires that female medschool applicants have to be at least cum laude to qualify for admission. Males have a lower standard.
It's such a shame considering that this university is in/famous for its very "liberal" slants and its students usually leading political rallies.