Examining Medical Student Specialty Choice Through a Gender Lens: An Orientational Qualitative Study

Abstract

The pursuits of personal and professional goals, as well as contextual factors, were the major themes that influenced decision-making for women and men. Composition of these major themes varied between genders. Influence of a partner, consideration of familial commitments (both present and future), feeling a sense of connectedness with the field in question, and social accountability were described by women as important. Both genders hoped to pursue careers that would afford "flexibility" in order to balance work with their personal lives, though the construct of work-life balance differed between genders. Women did not explicitly identify gender bias or sexism as influencing factors, but their narratives suggest that these elements were at play. Insights: Our findings suggest that unlike men, women's decision-making is informed by tension between personal and professional goals, likely related to the context of gendered personal and societal expectations.

Impact of gender on the career development of female traditional Korean medicine doctors: a qualitative study

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‘Too male, too pale, too stale’: a qualitative exploration of student experiences of gender bias within medical education

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With the best will in the world: How benevolent sexism shapes medical careers

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