Well....I'll give you my perspective on who goes into a field, which is what helped form my decision 35 years ago.
Generally, I think the people who are interested in pharmacy must have an interest in chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, math...or something along those lines. The career choices are either to do the academic route (PhD, etc...), stay with the BS or get an MS, or go on to a graduate professional program (MD/DO, PharmD, DDS, etc...).
The PhD route requires someone who just loves their science enough to pursue it no matter what. The individual may or may not discover something of significance in their field, but loves doing all the same & is willing to take all the bad with the good - grant writing & teaching freshman chemistry. I think this field is equally divided between men & women currently (but that's just an opinion - no fact to back up that statement).
The BS/MS choice I think appeals to women also. These are people who like the bench labwork & don't want to get into the academic political mess that comes with the PhD process of universities. They can work for universities or private industry, but they are those people in your chemistry lab class who smile the whole 3 hours of lab
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The professional degree course attracts all the rest - just an opinion. But, now personalities & personal preferences come into play. Some people like to be employees only (pharmacists, lab techs, etc) Some would rather have the autonomy of being their own boss (dentists, podiatrists). Some like to pursue the area of diagnostics rather than the area of treatment (physicians). Some love to work with their hands (dentists, surgeons). None of this is gender related - men & women gravitate to all areas. I will agree the duration of education puts some women off, particularly if they have an SO when having to decide what to pursue. Some feel they have to put off the personal relationship part of their life while getting their education, which I don't think is the case (altho some cultures insist on it).
These days, I think, people make career choices before making interest choices - which may backfire. I had already made my career choice & met & married my husband while in pharmacy school. One poster said the husband may not spend as much time with children, but that certainly didn't work in my situation. My husband had to take on the sole role (homework, dinner, baths, bedtime) when I worked evening shifts for a week at a time. I've spent every other weekend for the last 30 years working, so he had to do dancing lessons, soccer games, swimming lessons, etc...No to mention the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners he has fixed over the years.....
Yes there is flexibility in pharmacy, but my female friends who are dentists & physicians are more flexible time wise than I am.
I think the more accurate question is why are fewer men attracted to pharmacy.....my speculation is there is less autonomy than years before. There is less chance to be your own boss than years before & the business side of retail ownership is brutal. Administrative positions vary equally between men & women, but in that field, you have to be willing to move - each couple, if they are a couple, has to make that decision & it can be dependent on what the SO does. But...I think men tend to move easier than women.....
