A scissors-effect in career development of female and male medical doctors

Background and objective: Women are equally interested in studying medicine as men, and there is an equal proportion of female and male graduates in medicine. Women's occupational careers in medicine, however, are on the average less successful than men's. Whereas there are already many cross-sectional studies on this issue the present paper reports data of a prospective longitudinal study. Participants and methods: Participants were 139 female graduates and 172 male medical graduates. These were questioned three times, after their second "Staatsexamen", one and a half years later during their practical medical training time, and again one and a half years later within their specialized training. The questionnaires tapped performance data, occupacional self-efficacy, attitudes, goals, work satisfaction, experience of work situation, occupational development and private development. Results: There were no gender differences in grades, study duration, occupational self-efficacy and goals immediately after the exam. Experience of the work situation as well as work satisfaction did not differ, either. However, at time three female medical doctors were less often full-time employed than their male colleagues. This pertained not only to mothers but also to childless women. Full-time employed women often were singles without a partner. There were also gender differences in the expectations how occupation and family should be combined. Psychologically, women experienced a decrease in occupational self-efficacy, whereas men experienced an increase. Both equivocal female gender-role expectations and unfavorable organizational conditions of medical training are important for this development. Conclusion: The compatibility between work and family must be seen as a societal task. Otherwise many well-trained female medicine doctors will quit their jobs and as a consequence there will be a lack of doctors in the future.