A comparison of the professional values and career orientations of male and female medical students: Some unintended consequences of U.S. public policy

Burkett, Gary L.; Kurz, Dorothy E.

doi:10.1016/0165-2281(81)90003-5

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In the developing countries, altruism has been proposed as a way to improve the performance of the nursing students [30]; the same can be experimented in case of medical profession as well. Similar findings were also noted in the OECD regions where helping people was the most important factor for motivating the female medical students to take up the profession [31].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

‘Feminization’ of physician workforce in Bangladesh, underlying factors and implications for health system: Insights from a mixed-methods study

et al. 2019

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BackgroundBangladesh is currently faced with an emerging scenario of increased number of female physicians in the health workforce which has health system implications. For a health system to attract and retain female physicians, information is needed regarding their motivation to choose medical profession, real-life challenges encountered in home and workplaces, propensity to choose a few particular specialties, and factors leading to drop-out from the system. This exploratory mixed-methods study attempted to fill-in this knowledge gap and help the policy makers in designing a gender-sensitive health system.MethodsThree-hundred and fifteen final year female medical students from four purposively selected medical colleges of Dhaka city (two each from public and private colleges) were included in a quantitative survey using self-administered questionnaire. Besides, 31 in-depth interviews with female students, their parents, and in-service trainee physicians, and two focus group discussions with female students were conducted. Gender disaggregated data of physicians and admitted students were also collected. Data were analysed using Stata version 13 and thematic analysis method, as appropriate.ResultsDuring 2006–2015, the female physicians outnumbered their male peers (52% vs. 48%), which is also supported by student admission data during 2011–2016 from the sampled medical colleges, (67% in private compared to 52% in public). Majority of the female medical graduates specialized in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (96%). Social status (66%), respect for medical profession (91%), image of a ‘noble profession’ (91%), and prospects of helping common people (94%) were common motivating factors for them. Gender disparity in work, career and work environment especially in rural areas, and problems of work-home balance, were a few of the challenges mentioned which forced some of them to drop-out. Also, this scenario conditioned them to crowd into a few selected specialties, thereby constraining health system from delivering needed services.ConclusionsIncreasing number of female physicians in health workforce, outnumbering their male peers, is a fact of life for health system of Bangladesh. It’s high time that policy makers pay attention to this and take appropriate remedial measures so that women can pursue their career in an enabling environment and serve the needs and priorities of the health system.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

‘Feminization’ of physician workforce in Bangladesh, underlying factors and implications for health system: Insights from a mixed-methods study

et al. 2019

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“…A second line of argument is essentially qualitative: gender differences in medical practice reflect fundamental differences in the attitudes, values and orientations of women and men which lead women to make different choices to men and to adopt distinctive practice 'styles'. Whether by nature or by nurture, women are seen to be more humanistic, more attuned to interpersonal relationships and the psychosocial aspects of patient care, more likely to stress the desire to help people as a career motivation, and less likely to accept the status quo (Burkett and Kurz 1981;Eisenberg 1983;Hayes 1981;Xu et al 1995). When asked about their reasons for staying in the profession, women have been found to be less likely than men to cite financial rewards, but more likely to cite commitment to patients (Donaldson 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing the Palace Guard: Analysing the Impact of Women's Entry into Medicine

Williams

1999

Gender Work & Organization

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Women's rapid entry into medicine raises important questions about change in this historically male-dominated profession. In addition to shifting the gender balance, do increasing numbers of women signal a more fundamental change in the way in which medicine is organized and practised? A growing body of research suggests such change. Yet there is continuing controversy about the meaning of observed gender differences in practice, whether they reflect an essentially pragmatic response to women's dual workload of family and career, or whether they are the result of underlying differences in attitudes, values and orientations. This article uses data from a survey of a recent cohort of family physicians in Ontario, Canada, to document the extent of gender differences and similarities in medical practice, and their interrelationships to family situation, political attitudes and patient care attitudes. The results show that seemingly related differences in practice are accounted for in different ways: while some are associated with differences in family situation, others are tied to attitudes, while others are a function of gender alone. The results also reveal gender similarities which do not suggest that women are becoming more like men, but that men, and the profession as a whole are changing. We would emphasize the importance of interpreting gender differences and similarities within a broader conceptual understanding of change in the profession.

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“…Nationwide, women opt for primary care more than do males (Burkett & Kunz 1981; Lorber 1984). At CCNY 90% of the women but 78% of the men chose primary care.…”

Section: Career Choice Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined premedical-medical programmes: programme structure and student outcomes at four universities

et al. 1986

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Many American universities now support combined premedical-medical programmes which shorten and integrate the education of doctors. This paper reviews combined baccalaureate-MD programmes at four institutions: Boston University, the City College of New York, The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In comparison to most US medical schools, the combined programmes have admitted and educated larger portions of women students. In addition, some have had large proportions of graduates choosing primary-care careers.

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A comparison of the professional values and career orientations of male and female medical students: Some unintended consequences of U.S. public policy

Cited by 12 publications

References 11 publications

‘Feminization’ of physician workforce in Bangladesh, underlying factors and implications for health system: Insights from a mixed-methods study

‘Feminization’ of physician workforce in Bangladesh, underlying factors and implications for health system: Insights from a mixed-methods study

Changing the Palace Guard: Analysing the Impact of Women's Entry into Medicine

Combined premedical-medical programmes: programme structure and student outcomes at four universities

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