Thanks to the increasingly equal opportunities available, more women are able and willing to pursue a career within healthcare.
The Rise of Female Doctors in Healthcare?
In the article, you will discover what are the main reasons female doctors are becoming a force within the healthcare system.
Healthcare has long been a male-dominated industry, with women lacking the opportunities that are so freely available to their male counterparts. However, this outdated dynamic is gradually changing with time.
Thanks to the increasingly equal opportunities available, more women are able and willing to pursue a career within healthcare.
What Are the Current Levels of Female Physicians?
According to a 2017 study by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the number of women enrolling in medical schools outnumbered men for the first time. The study shows 50.7% of new enrollees were women, compared to a lower figure of 49.8% in 2016.
Another study from 2017 shows how this has had a knock-on effect on the proportion of female physicians, increasing over time. The older age groups of qualified doctors (45 and up) have more men than women. This trend grows with each age group. In contrast, doctors who are 44 and younger are mostly female. Under-35-year-olds are 60% female, a vast difference from the 80% of male physicians over 65.
The rise in female medical students is helping to create equality in the medical field. They are becoming the majority among younger qualified doctors.
On a global level, there has also been a distinct change. In 1990, female doctors made up only 29% in all OECD countries. This number has grown over time. It reached 38% in 2000 and increased to 46% by 2015. This progression is sure to continue as the number of female graduates only increases.
Are Women Better Doctors Than Men?
Between 2011 and 2014, a study was carried out with hospitalized patients on whether patient outcomes differ between male or female physicians. The study showed a notable difference in mortality rates, those of female physicians being 11.07% compared to 11.49% for male physicians. Readmission rates were also lower for female physicians, with 15.02% vs. 15.57% with male physicians.
Research also shows that visits to female primary care physicians are less likely to result in emergency departments visits than those of their male colleagues.
The study finds that these results may mainly come from the different ways male and female doctors practice. It states that female physicians may be more likely to:
- adhere to clinical guidelines
- provide preventive care more often
- use more patient-centered communication
- perform as well or better on standardized examinations
- provide more psychosocial counseling to their patients than do their male peers
Research shows that female doctors typically spend more time with each patient than their male counterparts. Both male and female patients usually talk more when they see a female doctor. This helps doctors understand their symptoms better.
This could be because female doctors are often more emotionally responsive than male doctors. They focus on communication that is more emotional. They ask more questions about a patient’s lifestyle and feelings. These factors can greatly affect physical health.
The same study found that female doctors are more likely to talk with a family member. This can be very helpful for patients who have trouble expressing themselves.
These studies show clear differences between male and female doctors. Their approaches to medical care can greatly affect patient outcomes.
What Professional Challenges Do Female Physicians Face?
1. Gender Bias in Training
Women have made progress in closing gender gaps in medicine. However, they still face many challenges in their training and work as doctors. Women are typically rated less highly than men during medical school and residency. A study in 2010 found that men are more likely to be viewed as quick learners – a gender bias that plays a significant role in the assessment of female students.
2. Caretaker Stereotypes
Once qualified, countless other harmful gender biases undoubtedly hinder female physicians. The inherent assumption that the woman is the prime caretaker in the family often leads to female physicians taking on the majority of parental responsibility, despite the high demands from their job.
3. Impact on Personal Life and Health
Long working hours cause more female doctors to get divorced than male doctors. Men usually have less responsibility at home. Divorce rates in male physicians decrease with higher working hours. This overload of responsibility has severe consequences for female physicians’ mental and physical health, as they are more likely to experience symptoms of burnout – emotional exhaustion, feelings of failure, and detachment – than their male counterparts.
4. Gender Pay Gap
These emotional struggles are further exaggerated since female physicians are still paid significantly less than their male colleagues. Despite the great strides in leveling out the numbers of male and female physicians, research still shows that the gender earnings gap exists.
5. Institutional Challenges
Healthcare institutions must change their practices to better support female physicians. This is due to many changes in recent years. This can be challenging, mainly due to the majority of executive and administrative roles being male-dominated.
Women in Healthcare Leadership
1. Rising Numbers, Uneven Leadership
The increasing number of female doctors is a good sign. However, leadership roles in healthcare are still mostly held by men. To better support female doctors, healthcare should have more women in top positions. Gender disparity cannot be tackled unless there is equality on all levels.
“Healthcare, unlike other industries, does not have a ‘women in healthcare’ problem, but a ‘women in healthcare leadership’ problem.”
2. The Leadership Gap: By the Numbers
Approximately 65% of all healthcare workers are female; however, female senior executives only make up 33%, with female CEOs even lower at 13%. For those women that do reach CEO level, it takes them three to five years longer on average than men.
3. The Double Standard Dilemma
One major barrier women face is the double standards for traits needed to get an executive role. These traits include assertiveness, bravery, and risk-taking. These attributes are generally seen as positive in men, while women are typically penalised for them.
4. Limited Access to Professional Networks
In addition, it is often more difficult for women to gain the same level of trust as men. Professional connections are usually made during informal social and work settings. These activities are often more focused on men, like golf and football. This leaves women with fewer chances to make connections that could help them find jobs.
5. Disconnect Between Leadership and Consumers
In an industry where women make 80% of buying and usage decisions, how can it be more focused on consumers? The leadership does not match the consumers
The Future of Women in Healthcare
Though women play such an active role in healthcare, both as consumers and professionally, only 4% of funding for the research and development of healthcare products and services is centered around women’s health. However, this vast inequality is gradually being tackled, with healthcare companies increasingly putting women’s health at the forefront. Companies finally understand the importance and benefits of focussing on the health and well-being of women.
Femtech – the use of digital health software designed to improve women’s health – is expanding rapidly, receiving more than $1 billion in funding between 2015 and 2018. This sector is playing a pivotal role in the progression of gender equality within healthcare. By encouraging women to work in healthcare, we can help them aim for better jobs. Focusing on women’s health can also promote gender equality.
Diversity is important for positive change in society. Healthcare plays a key role in fighting the gender inequalities that women face.
