Women in medical education. A status report

Abstract

Women now make up 37 percent of medical school applicants, 34 percent of medical students, 28 percent of residents, and 19 percent of full-time medical school faculty members. These proportions have grown from 26, 25, 19, and 15 percent, respectively, 10 years ago. A comparison of the academic performance of male and female medical students reveals few differences, particularly on standardized measures. However, women trainees experience more stress than men. Traditional differences in the choice of specialty by men and women are not diminishing. Women's accession to senior faculty positions has not kept pace with their increasing representation on the faculty--a cause of continuing concern. The percentage of female faculty members who are professors has changed from 8 to 9 percent in 10 years (as compared with 32 percent of male faculty members in 1988). I conclude that the numbers of women are increasing rapidly at the lower levels of medical education, but not at the upper levels.