This year — for the first time — women are the majority of students entering medical schools

But there are still barriers to their success

(iStock/Lily illustration)

Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Michael Alison Chandler.

Historically, medicine has attracted fewer women than men because of long working hours associated with the profession and the rigorous academic background required in advanced science and math — subjects that women have been less likely to pursue. Three decades ago, just over a third of medical students were women.

This year, for the first time, the class of medical students is majority female nationwide, according to a new report by the Washington-based Association of American Medical Colleges.

After making steady gains since the 1960s, women have hovered close to the 50 percent mark nationally for the past 15 years. The number of male applicants was slightly higher in 2017, but since 2015, male applicants declined while female applicants increased.

I’m a young, female doctor. Don’t call me ‘sweetie’

An emphasis on STEM

Many advocates of the profession credit the increasing number of women in medical schools to a growing emphasis on so-called pipeline programs that encourage girls to pursue math and science from the time they are in grade school.

“Many of these programs show that women are just as talented and capable in the sciences,” said Geoffrey Young, senior director for student affairs and programs at the AAMC. “We are pleased to see this increasing diversity in what has been a white male-dominated profession.”

The association is hopeful that the increasing number of women, along with a rise in the numbers of underrepresented racial minorities, will help fill a projected shortage of physicians needed to serve the nation’s growing aging population.

Remaining barriers

Women overpopulate the lower rungs of academia in medical schools, and they remain in small numbers in some high-paid specialties, including orthopedic surgery and cardiovascular disease.

There is concern about a high rate of burnout, particularly among female physicians.

Female doctors are introduced by their first name. Men are called ‘Doctor.’

With more women entering the field, more people are talking about these issues and looking for solutions, said Kim Templeton, former president of the American Medical Women’s Association and a professor of orthopedic surgery at University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.

Templeton is conducting research about female physicians who are advanced in their careers and balancing work with caring for children and older family members.

“Even as busy professionals, women are still the ones in the family who are expected to take care of all these things at home,” she said.

In focus groups, she said, women talk about feeling guilty that they are always in the wrong place: at work when they should be taking care of someone at home and vice versa. “There is constant concern and self-doubt,” she said.

For younger doctors, as with most professions, child care remains a big issue, she said. In June, the governing body of the American Medical Association voted to launch a study of leading hospitals to look at what kinds of child-care services they provide to help physicians with young children.

Gifty Dominah, a first-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine, receives the white coat of a medical student from Dean Jeffrey S. Akman at a ceremony in August. (Michael Leong/George Washington University School of Medicine)

“The biggest issue is knowing when to start a family, and doing it without putting your career in jeopardy, particularly when you are competing with people who seemingly don’t have to take time off,” said Gifty Dominah, a 24-year-old who entered the George Washington University School of Medicine in August.

She said she does not notice any barriers to success. “I think I have the same opportunities as my male counterparts,” she said.