Facts
Women
play an increasingly important role in the medical workforce as
• the majority of medical students
• one third of all doctors on the register
• four in ten doctors in specialist training
Despite this:
• women doctors are significantly under-represented
in some specialities, particularly surgery
• there are very few women in senior clinical
academic positions eg Deans of Medical Schools
• only one third of GP principals are women
• women doctors are under-represented in
key medico-political roles
• Few undergraduates fully understand the
opportunities or potential obstacles involved in pursuing the speciality of
their choice.
Figures
Women in Medicine
While in some cases up to 57% of medical students
are now female, women still only make up 40%
of the medical workforce itself.
The higher up the grades you look, the fewer women you will find. While 57%
of FYs are female, by SpR this figure has dropped to 45%
and only 27% of Consultants are women. In certain
specialities the statistics are even more startling. In surgery for example
53% of FYs are female, yet only
8% of surgical Consultants are women.
Even in ‘female-dominated’ specialities this pattern can be observed.
In Obs and Gynae 77% of FYs are female, falling
to 65% at SpRs and 33%
at Consultant level. Similarly in Paediatrics 70%
of FYs, 59% of SpRs and 44%
of Consultants are female.
(Statistics taken from BMA HPERU research 2007)
Women and Pay
Women working full-time earn on average 17% less
per hour than men working full-time. For ethnic minority women, the gap is
even higher at 20%. For women working part-time
compared to men working full-time the gap is 36%
per hour – rising to 45% in London.
(Statistics from Fawcett Society)
