Why Aren’t There More Female Doctors? Understanding Gender Gaps in Medicine
Women have made major strides in medicine in recent years, taking the lead in medical school enrollment — More than 55% of U.S. medical students are female. These numbers do not yet translate to clinical practice, however. Fewer than 40% of practicing doctors are women, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
Why the discrepancy?
We’ll examine the reasons here, suggest ways healthcare organizations can close these gender gaps and explain why aspiring female doctors should not be deterred from pursuing their dream career.
What’s Behind Medicine’s Gender Gap?
There are several factors contributing to the disparity in the number of male and female doctors:
- Burnout
Female physicians are experiencing higher rates of burnout than their male counterparts, and they’re also quitting at a higher rate. Excessive workload is a common culprit.
- Longer Hours
On average, female doctors spend more time interacting directly with patients and documenting patient data electronically than male doctors do. This extra time and attention translates to better patient outcomes, especially for older adult patients, but may not yield professional benefits for those providing it.
- The Gender Pay Gap
According to healthcare professional networking site Doximity.com, male physicians in the U.S. earn about $110,000 more annually than female physicians.
Solutions for Medicine’s Gender Gap
So what can healthcare leaders do to help level the playing field for women in medicine and close the gender gap? While systemic change takes time and sustained effort, the following changes can begin to move a healthcare organization toward equity:
- Offering greater schedule flexibility.
- Allowing remote work, when feasible, through telehealth and other means.
- Expanding parental leave.
- Helping with childcare access.
- Reviewing compensation policies for disparities.
- Involving female doctors in conversations about the issues that affect them.
- Encouraging input and feedback.
- Educating staff about implicit gender biases.
Why We All Benefit From a Diverse Healthcare Workforce
Leading organizations, including the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the AMA and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and distinguished publications like The New England Journal of Medicine, agree that diversity benefits healthcare professionals, patients and society overall.
Physicians of diverse genders, backgrounds and other characteristics can bring a broader range of life experiences and perspectives into the healthcare mission, improving bedside manner and the patient experience.
In addition, demographics that have been traditionally underrepresented in the medical profession are more likely to go on to help populations that have been underserved, ensuring that patients of all types get access to the quality healthcare they need.
Perhaps the most compelling reason of all is that, statistically, patients treated by female doctors experience lower mortality rates and lower readmission rates than those treated by male doctors.
With the unquestionable strides women have made in the physician workforce — a 97% increase between 2004 and 2022 — and the implementation of proposed solutions for closing medicine’s gender gap, there are many reasons to be hopeful that female doctors will continue to expand their presence in healthcare.
A Molecular Medicine Certificate Program for Everyone
There are many rewarding professional directions to take in the expanding field of molecular medicine. An evolving discipline with enormous growth potential, molecular medicine can provide aspiring female physicians the opportunity become pioneers among its modern practitioners, researchers and thought leaders.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s online Molecular Medicine Graduate Certificate Program can help you expand your expertise, qualify for new roles or decide which field is right for you. Complete your 11-22-credit Certificate in as little as two semesters!
During our Program you’ll enjoy:
- Affordable tuition rates.
- Small class sizes.
- Tutoring and other individualized assistance.
- Networking opportunities with classmates.
- Customizable course paths.
- Ongoing communication with UMMC faculty and representatives.
Once you’ve finished your Certificate, you’ll have:
- A thorough understanding of targeted medical interventions.
- A credential that will make your health-profession school application more impressive (full credit load recommended).
- The foundation for an advanced degree program.
- Skills that will enable you to teach college-level biological sciences.
- Greater advancement potential.
Sources:
https://hbr.org/2022/01/why-so-many-women-physicians-are-quitting
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8994436/
