Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019
Abstract Background Despite females comprising 50.8% of the U.S. population, the percentage of females in the physician workforce is only 36.3%. Studies have examined sex trends within select specialties, however there is insufficient literature studying trends across all specialties. In this study,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03565-7 |
| _version_ | 1811219338718347264 |
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| author | Ugochi T. Aguwa Maylander Menard Divya Srikumaran Christina Prescott Joseph Canner Fasika Woreta |
| author_facet | Ugochi T. Aguwa Maylander Menard Divya Srikumaran Christina Prescott Joseph Canner Fasika Woreta |
| author_sort | Ugochi T. Aguwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Despite females comprising 50.8% of the U.S. population, the percentage of females in the physician workforce is only 36.3%. Studies have examined sex trends within select specialties, however there is insufficient literature studying trends across all specialties. In this study, the authors examined trends in the proportion of female residents from 2011 to 2019 across all specialties, including both surgical and non-surgical. Methods Data on the proportion of female residents from 2011 to 2019 in all specialties was extracted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Data Resource Books and analyzed with the chi-square test for trend. Results From 2011 to 2019, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of female residents in surgical specialties (p < 0.001) and no significant change in the percentage of female residents in non-surgical specialties. In the same time period, the specialty with the highest percentage of females was Obstetrics & Gynecology (81.3%), and the specialty with the lowest percentage of females was Orthopedic Surgery (13.8%). Conclusions Although there has been a positive overall trend in the percentage of females entering medical and surgical specialties, the percentage of females in medicine overall still lies below that of the entire population. Increased efforts are needed to increase female representation in medicine, especially in the U.S. in specialties where they are traditionally underrepresented. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:24:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c9b4e6e57a1495398e3cabf97fe5ffb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:24:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c9b4e6e57a1495398e3cabf97fe5ffb2022-12-22T03:42:13ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202022-07-012211610.1186/s12909-022-03565-7Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019Ugochi T. Aguwa0Maylander Menard1Divya Srikumaran2Christina Prescott3Joseph Canner4Fasika Woreta5Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineMeharry Medical College School of MedicineWilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, NYU Langone HealthJohns Hopkins Surgery Center for Outcomes ResearchWilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineAbstract Background Despite females comprising 50.8% of the U.S. population, the percentage of females in the physician workforce is only 36.3%. Studies have examined sex trends within select specialties, however there is insufficient literature studying trends across all specialties. In this study, the authors examined trends in the proportion of female residents from 2011 to 2019 across all specialties, including both surgical and non-surgical. Methods Data on the proportion of female residents from 2011 to 2019 in all specialties was extracted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Data Resource Books and analyzed with the chi-square test for trend. Results From 2011 to 2019, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of female residents in surgical specialties (p < 0.001) and no significant change in the percentage of female residents in non-surgical specialties. In the same time period, the specialty with the highest percentage of females was Obstetrics & Gynecology (81.3%), and the specialty with the lowest percentage of females was Orthopedic Surgery (13.8%). Conclusions Although there has been a positive overall trend in the percentage of females entering medical and surgical specialties, the percentage of females in medicine overall still lies below that of the entire population. Increased efforts are needed to increase female representation in medicine, especially in the U.S. in specialties where they are traditionally underrepresented.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03565-7DiversitySexFemaleResidentsDisparity |
| spellingShingle | Ugochi T. Aguwa Maylander Menard Divya Srikumaran Christina Prescott Joseph Canner Fasika Woreta Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 BMC Medical Education Diversity Sex Female Residents Disparity |
| title | Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 |
| title_full | Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 |
| title_fullStr | Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 |
| title_short | Sex diversity within U.S. residencies: a cross-sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 |
| title_sort | sex diversity within u s residencies a cross sectional study of trends from 2011 to 2019 |
| topic | Diversity Sex Female Residents Disparity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03565-7 |
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