More women than ever are becoming physicians, but female physicians still have the highest attrition rates, The Hill reported Feb. 22.
In the 2023-24 school year, female medical schools made up more than 55% of students in the country's MD-granted programs, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The number of practicing physicians has increased by 9% from 2007 to 2021.
There are two reasons why female physicians may be in the minority, experts told The Hill. First, the workforce has not caught up to the shifting makeup of medical student bodies. In the past, most medical students were male, so the bulk of older physicians are men. Women started making up half of students only around 2017 and did not become the majority until 2019.
Second, female physicians have higher attrition rates. One 2023 study found female physicians have significantly higher attrition rates than men at every stage of their career, reaching as high as 40% of female physicians at all stages of career. Women also report experiencing higher rates of burnout than their male counterparts, however, one study found the difference in burnout rates was virtually the same across career stages, suggesting family obligations are not the main reason for the gap.
Some possible contributors to the higher burnout rates could be that female physicians tend to make less money, are less likely to be promoted to associate or full professor positions and are more likely to be delegated unpaid tasks like secretarial work, mentoring or committee work, the report said.