Is Optometry a female dominated profession and what does this mean?

[jalapeno123]

Not that its bad or anything like that, but I am curious as to why Optometry is female dominated or will transition into that soon considering that 67% of applicants are from females...

Anybody have any theories?

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[Jason K]

Not that its bad or anything like that, but I am curious as to why Optometry is female dominated or will transition into that soon considering that 67% of applicants are from females...

Anybody have any theories?

I think a major reason is because the majority of the work available to new grads is part time, and there are more females than males who are willing to accept that as an outcome. Many females actively seek part time employment after graduation, which works out well for them. Not so good for the males who need to work full time, since those positions are vanishing at ever-increasing rates, and that rate will only increase as the new programs start graduating newly-minted ODs.

The writing is on the wall for anyone who chooses to see it. Optometry, as a solid profession, is on the way out.

 

[jalapeno123]

I think a major reason is because the majority of the work available to new grads is part time, and there are more females than males who are willing to accept that as an outcome. Many females actively seek part time employment after graduation, which works out well for them. Not so good for the males who need to work full time, since those positions are vanishing at ever-increasing rates, and that rate will only increase as the new programs start graduating newly-minted ODs.

The writing is on the wall for anyone who chooses to see it. Optometry, as a solid profession, is on the way out.

thanks - but are you certain about this? If Optometry was a part-time career, then it wouldn't really be a career would it?

how do you pay-back tuition with part-time work? or i guess what you mean to imply is that after giving birth women can work part-time? that's why its appealing to women, the ability to raise a family while being able to work part-time?

 

[Jason K]

If Optometry was a part-time career, then it wouldn't really be a career would it?

Exactly....

I
how do you pay-back tuition with part-time work? or i guess what you mean to imply is that after giving birth women can work part-time? that's why its appealing to women, the ability to raise a family while being able to work part-time?

Paying back loans on what optometry now offers to most new grads is a difficult proposition. You're asking questions which most prospects don't think about until it's too late.

 

[jalapeno123]

Exactly....



Paying back loans on what optometry now offers to most new grads is a difficult proposition. You're asking questions which most prospects don't think about until it's too late.

i see, but i can't understand why optometry is more appealing to women.

 

[PinkCupcake]

You answered your own question- it can be done part-time (as a supplemental income) and leaves time for family. It is also a career that is low stress and doesn't require one to be on-call 24/7 (in most cases). Pharmacy is also becoming (if it's not already) a very female-dominated career for the same reason.

 

[EyeThinkICan]

From what I gather, it is female dominated because it leaves time for family and is a less stressful than MD careers. Optometrists are Dr.s that are not on call, and they can often times set their own hours. For a woman who is interested in science and medicine, but does not want to put in the time for medical school or on-call hours, optometry is a great profession.

 

[jalapeno123]

i see - is that what female applicants put on their apps as a reason to become an optometrist? due to the part-time option? are the majority of job openings part-time?

i don't understand - can't one just say they want to do med because the pay is better part-time than optometry part-time? lol - i mean all careers have part-time options, and as a GP you don't need to have on-call hours.

i get what your saying, but it seems like a weak reason to pursue a career.

 

[MeShe1ly]

i see - is that what female applicants put on their apps as a reason to become an optometrist? due to the part-time option? are the majority of job openings part-time?

i don't understand - can't one just say they want to do med because the pay is better part-time than optometry part-time? lol - i mean all careers have part-time options, and as a GP you don't need to have on-call hours.

i get what your saying, but it seems like a weak reason to pursue a career.

It's not to say that that is the sole reason for why women go into optometry, but it's definitely one of the several lifestyle reasons (along w/ lower levels of stress, clean environment, etc) as to why optometry is more convenient for women, compared to other health careers. Sure you can opt to work part-time as an MD, but do realize that schooling and training for optometry is much shorter (4 years), whereas for an MD+residency it is nearly double that. This is the most likely explanation to why medicine is a male-dominated field. Many women want to be done with schooling before their 30's in time to have children and raise a family. This is obviously more difficult for female MD's who wouldn't be finished until they're 35+ (on average).

 

[Loptometriste]

So are vet schools, so are pharmacy schools, and so are a lot of things. Women aren't all secretaries like Miss Moneypenny.

I would assume you can ask most female optometrists, "Why Optometry?" just as much as you could ask male optometrists, "Why Optometry?" I bet there would be similar answers from all.

The same could be asked to why would a man be interested in a previously female dominated field like nursing or teaching.

For a simple answer, it's the 21st century.

 

[Jason K]

So are vet schools, so are pharmacy schools, and so are a lot of things. Women aren't all secretaries like Miss Moneypenny.

I would assume you can ask most female optometrists, "Why Optometry?" just as much as you could ask male optometrists, "Why Optometry?" I bet there would be similar answers from all.

The same could be asked to why would a man be interested in a previously female dominated field like nursing or teaching.

For a simple answer, it's the 21st century.

This line of thinking would make sense if the distribution of males and females was approaching 50/50, but it's well past that. Some schools have over 70% female enrollment. Something is pushing the enrollment in the female direction, well past the expected value based on population numbers. I believe it is the nature of where the profession is going; part time work, that is driving that change.

 

[mattosu]

There are many interesting statistics when looking at these types of numbers. You may also ask why Asians make up such a large portion of optometry students (29% opt students vs 5% of general pop). Or why nearly 60% of degrees go to female students and that percentage is increasing. I don't think you will be able to answer the question of why there are so many females in optometry by saying "people with vaginas like to work part time."
I feel that I should note that Medical and Osteopathic student bodies are not nearly so male dominated as some people seem to think. They both average out to around 48% or so female, and this is hardly a male dominated percentage.

 

[pudgie84]

desire for part-time work is bs. none of the female applicants i've talked to even mentioned this as a reason. in fact, most of them want to open their own office full-time (whether that's feasible or not is a different story)

 

[KHE]

desire for part-time work is bs. none of the female applicants i've talked to even mentioned this as a reason. in fact, most of them want to open their own office full-time (whether that's feasible or not is a different story)

It still begs the question why the percentage of females in medical programs is 50% but in non-MD health fields like optometry and pharmacy it is far exceeding 50%.

 

[opto2be]

Maybe optometry and pharmacy are "cleaner" fields so they attract more females. No blood, needles, or surgery involved. Compare that with dentistry which is not as clean and draws more males (60% male I believe).

 

[Loptometriste]

Maybe optometry and pharmacy are "cleaner" fields so they attract more females. No blood, needles, or surgery involved. Compare that with dentistry which is not as clean and draws more males (60% male I believe).

The University of Minnesota Veterinary School Class of 2016 has 83 females and 13 males. I would not label it is a "clean" field.

I know several women who are large animal vets and some are new grads-- all work full time and are on call. They chose this profession because it is something they wanted to do.

I believe women have more opportunities now to go into different fields that appeal to them and that attributes to why some women are choosing the profession not only based on a family lifestyle choice.

So, where all the young men? Why aren't they applying to be pharmacists, vets, etc.?

 

[Jason K]

desire for part-time work is bs. none of the female applicants i've talked to even mentioned this as a reason. in fact, most of them want to open their own office full-time (whether that's feasible or not is a different story)

Then maybe it's because more women like to shop, and most ODs will be working at shopping malls and box stores. Maybe that's it - or, it could be because men will preferentially seek professions that can provide them with an income capable of supporting a family without a second income. If you were to ask a sociologist, I'd bet you he or she would say that women are less likely to avoid a profession that is heading toward part time work as the norm. It's the same reason that most people in medical billing are women.

People can yell and scream that men and women are exactly equal in terms of behavior, but the fact is, we're not. We've had this discussion before, about a year ago.

 

[opto2be]

The University of Minnesota Veterinary School Class of 2016 has 83 females and 13 males. I would not label it is a "clean" field.

Optometry and pharmacy are "cleaner" than other healthcare fields. As for vet, it may not be clean, but taking care of animals is somewhat similar to caring for kids. They both require a maternal type instinct in a way. That's probably also the reason why most pediatricians are now females.

 

[jalapeno123]

So would a majority female population make optometry weak?

25 years ago when Optometry was booming, the majority of the ODS were males. Of course other things have happened since, but to think that 70% of graduating ODs are females is a bit scary. Who's going to take the leadership role etc?

 

[opto2be]

So would a majority female population make optometry weak?

25 years ago when Optometry was booming, the majority of the ODS were males. Of course other things have happened since, but to think that 70% of graduating ODs are females is a bit scary. Who's going to take the leadership role etc?

The last president for the AOA was female, so a female leadership presence is already being felt in the profession and will likely grow in upcoming years. I don't think the male to female transition will necessarily make the profession weaker. It really just depends on what they do politically for optometry.

 

[pudgie84]

So would a majority female population make optometry weak?

25 years ago when Optometry was booming, the majority of the ODS were males. Of course other things have happened since, but to think that 70% of graduating ODs are females is a bit scary. Who's going to take the leadership role etc?

seriously??

 

[badasshairday]

The last president for the AOA was female, so a female leadership presence is already being felt in the profession and will likely grow in upcoming years. I don't think the male to female transition will necessarily make the profession weaker. It really just depends on what they do politically for optometry.

It will get weaker, just as the medical profession has gotten weaker with more women entering the physician work force.

 

[Ime]

Seriously... Since when are all female careers week??? It blows my mind that this is even up for discussion. There are more females in this world, does that mean we are going to become a weaker society? Most medical professions are becoming slightly female dominated, maybe because women prefer science based careers? Who knows and ....WHO CARES!!!

 

[pudgie84]

Seriously... Since when are all female careers week??? It blows my mind that this is even up for discussion. There are more females in this world, does that mean we are going to become a weaker society? Most medical professions are becoming slightly female dominated, maybe because women prefer science based careers? Who knows and ....WHO CARES!!!

yeah, i think these guys are just trying to get a rise out of the women on this forum...don't let them get your goat, lol. if you think about, females would make better healthcare workers anyway cause they're the more nurturing and caring gender

 

[opto2be]

If optometry becomes a female dominated profession, with many working part time or having reduced hours, then wouldn't that alleviate the current oversupply issue and the presence of new schools?

 

[optsuker]

If optometry becomes a female dominated profession, with many working part time or having reduced hours, then wouldn't that alleviate the current oversupply issue and the presence of new schools?

It would require ALL OD's working ~20 hours/week to alleviate the oversupply issue that's on the horizon.

Being a new grad in about 5 years is really going to be cutthroat.

 

[BeesKnees22]

If optometry becomes a female dominated profession, with many working part time or having reduced hours, then wouldn't that alleviate the current oversupply issue and the presence of new schools?

If many people work part time, then that won't open up more full time jobs. It will just become a part time market, which is just another way of saying that the profession will have a lot of underemployment.

 

[BeesKnees22]

Nevermind. I'm not getting baited.

 

[missbrightside]

So would a majority female population make optometry weak?

25 years ago when Optometry was booming, the majority of the ODS were males. Of course other things have happened since, but to think that 70% of graduating ODs are females is a bit scary. Who's going to take the leadership role etc?

^Are you serious?

 

[Commando303]

I think a major reason is because the majority of the work available to new grads is part time, and there are more females than males who are willing to accept that as an outcome. Many females actively seek part time employment after graduation, which works out well for them. Not so good for the males who need to work full time, since those positions are vanishing at ever-increasing rates, and that rate will only increase as the new programs start graduating newly-minted ODs.

The writing is on the wall for anyone who chooses to see it. Optometry, as a solid profession, is on the way out.

That's narrow. Women out-number men across the board in health professions, as well as in law.

 

[Jason K]

That's narrow. Women out-number men across the board in health professions, as well as in law.

I have trouble believing that women out-number men across the board. How many dental school classes have more women than men?

If it were true, what does that tell you? Health professions are getting screwed, and will continue to get screwed in the future. As medicare continues to be gutted, from both sides of government, doctors, hospitals, and patients will pay the price. Incomes are dropping, and applicants who need to be the sole bread-winner will be less likely to sign on for cancerous debt and lessening pay for their entire career.

 

[mattosu]

can this thread be closed?

 

[Jason K]

Jason K, please just shut the f**k up

Let me think about it. No.

 

[pudgie84]

If it were true, what does that tell you? Health professions are getting screwed, and will continue to get screwed in the future...Incomes are dropping, and applicants who need to be the sole bread-winner will be less likely to sign on for cancerous debt and lessening pay for their entire career.

jason k, you're really showing your age

 

[Jason K]

jason k, you're really showing your age

This is sociology 101 here, people - not complicated stuff. Go find a sociology professor and ask him (not a her, since she'll almost certainly be a scarf-wearing femi-nazi who hates anyone who doesn't wear crinkly skirts and over 100 beads) why there are very few men in medical assisting. You can't support a family on $10/hr, so people who do not need to be sole income providers (more often women) will choose those fields more than those who do need to be sole income providers. The same trends will affect other fields, just like optometry is being affected. Just give it a few years, the rest of medicine and allied health will be right there too.

Like it or not, we still live in a society in which gender roles exist, although the liberal education system is doing a great job of masculinizing females, and feminizing males.