Our data showed that both women and men found the financial aspects of a dental career equally important as a motive for attending dental school. The perceived flexibility of a dental career was also equally important to both men and women. On the other hand, male students rated business-related motives as being more important in their decision to pursue dental school than did female students. Conversely, female students rated caring or helping motives as more important than did their male counterparts.
When asked about their aspirations following dental school, significant gender differences among first-year students emerged. Despite the fact that first-year students are not likely to have a great deal of in-depth knowledge about dental specialties, with the exception of pediatric dentistry, women were less likely to aspire to postgraduate dental education than men. In fact, the most significant predictor of postgraduate educational aspirations among first-year students was gender. Furthermore, compared to men, women were less likely to see themselves in a solo practice following graduation and more likely to see themselves as an employee or associate in a dental practice.
Thus the primary significance of our first-year data is that women, even upon entry into dental school, were less likely to aspire to postgraduate education or higher-income-producing practice arrangements than were men. One possible explanation for this result may be that women lack sufficient role models - i.e., other women who are small-business owners or independent health-care providers. It is estimated that only 7 percent of all dentists in the United States are women in solo practices,1 so it is conceivable that female dental students have not even encountered women in these roles. Furthermore, other research on womens aspirations regarding scientific careers11,12 suggests that women get less encouragement and social support for science-oriented careers than men and that women are less likely than men to perceive themselves as similar to people who pursue scientific professions.
Fortunately, our fourth-year data suggests that the experience of dental school has a leveling influence, which effectively erases some of the first-year gender differences. Both male and female fourth-year students perceived themselves to be equally competent as a dentist. Additionally, substantial majorities of both women and men said that, if given the opportunity to reconsider, they would choose a career in dentistry again.
Women in the fourth-year survey were more likely than men to have plans to pursue postgraduate education (45 percent vs. 33 percent), more likely than men to report that they had a mentor in dental school (55 percent vs. 44 percent), and more likely to report that their mentor encouraged them to pursue postgraduate education.
Additional analysis of our fourth-year data indicated that gender was no longer a significant predictor of students plans to pursue postgraduate dental education. Also, students original first-year predictions regarding the pursuit of postgraduate education did not predict whether, as a fourth-year student, they were actually planning postgraduate education in a dental specialty area. The primary predictors of postgraduate education were, in order of magnitude, dental school grades, marital status, and mentoring. Students who had a dental school mentor and students with grades above the sample median were, respectively, two and five times more likely to pursue postgraduate education. Conversely, married students were four times less likely to plan on postgraduate education than their single colleagues.
The only major gender differences that emerged in the fourth-year data were in students predictions of their practice arrangements five years after dental school. A greater percentage of female students than male students (41 percent vs. 16 percent) said that it was very likely that they would be in an associate position five years after dental school. Men were more likely than women to say they would be in a solo practice five years after dental school (73 percent vs. 56 percent).
Also of note in the fourth-year data is students interest in organized dentistry. Eighty percent of men and 90 percent of women expressed interest in membership in professional dental organizations. Furthermore, greater percentages of women said that they were interested in becoming active in state or national dental organizations, or in their dental schools alumni organization. Recently, Dr. Marjorie K. Jeffcoat, former editor of the Journal of the American Dental Association and dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, expressed concern about the number of women in the pipeline for dental leadership positions.13 If our data is any indication, the women who make up the dental class of 2004 are interested in entering that pipeline.
Our research and the research conducted by the ADA in the 1990s suggest that women do and will continue to make up a substantial proportion of the dental workforce. Still, women are at a disadvantage with respect to income, professional autonomy (as defined by practice arrangements), and the burden of a second shift of homework and childcare. At the same time, however, our research suggests that the dental school experience levels the playing field for women. Fourth-year female students in our sample expressed greater interest in postgraduate education and becoming active in professional dental organizations than their male colleagues.
Overall, the vast majority of male and female dentists report satisfaction with their profession.4 However, there is still a great deal that is not known about women as dental professionals. Not much is known about the practice characteristics of women dentists including fee structures, patient pools, or practice styles, or how these factors might affect income or patient care. Little is known about the strategies that women dentists use to balance work and family demands, or how successful these strategies are. Indeed, little is known about how women and men in dental careers define success.
However, our research does point to the importance of mentoring. A 2004 report issued by the American Dental Education Association14 suggested that mentoring was important for the development and retention of dental school faculty. The report suggested that mentoring supported the growth and professional development of young dental professionals and provided opportunities to clarify goals, values, and professional choices. The report also suggested that mentors could benefit from the arrangement as well by providing them with the opportunity to stay abreast of new techniques and knowledge, and the opportunity to give back to ones profession and create a legacy. Given the results of our research, it seems quite likely that mentoring plays no less a role in the general dental profession. Dental professionals, as full- or part-time faculty in dental schools, in their private practices, or via professional dental organizations can be potential mentors to younger colleagues. Young dentists, regardless of gender, are likely to benefit from the experience of having mentors in terms of professional growth, success in their chosen profession, and the provision of improved care.
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