Women have made great strides in America's medical schools. From comprising just 7.7 percent of graduation class in 1964, women made up 45.1 percent of the class of 2003, according to a study by the journal Academic Medicine.
When it comes to applying to medical schools, the male-female gap hasn't just been narrowed: it's been closed. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported in both 2003 and 2004 female medical school applicants slightly surpassed male applicants. Females made up 50.4 percent of the application pool.
Carol Baffi-Dugan, Tufts' Program Director for Health Professions Advising, feels these numbers reflect societal changes.
"In the 70's and 80's, when women were first starting to become involved in the health professions, the goal was to dedicate one's life to working rather than having a family," she said. "In recent years, however, the rigor and stress associated with practicing medicine has increased mainly due to the innovations in technology as well as the emphasis on liability and legal issues."
Marilyn Barry (LA '05), who is attending Tufts Medical School, agreed that women still face challenges in entering the medical field.
"It's definitely hard [for women] to be doctors still, to balance work and a family," Barry said. There are female students in her medical school classes with children, and these women are taking the same course load as every other student.
"I talked to some of the women with children," Barry said. "One woman is about 35 and has two kids, and has the same number of classes as the rest of us."
Barry - who said some men in her class are also juggling med school and a family - has seen a roughly equal gender distribution in her class. "It seems like it's balanced," she said. "We take all our classes together. There is an equal distribution of women and men."
Barry has noticed female medical students are interested in specific medical specialties.
"A lot of women gravitate towards pediatrics," Barry said.
Undergraduates have made similar observations.
"I worked at Mass General [Hospital] last year, and I was in the ER. It was mostly male, except in the pediatrics department," senior and pre-med student Sarah Wong said.
But there are many women - and men - who don't fit the traditional medical stereotypes. "I also know a lot of women who want to go into surgery - and guys who go into pediatrics," Barry said.
Wong believes more women are now thinking about different types of medicine. "I'm a complete opposite [of the stereotype]," she said. "I'm interested in surgery and neuropsychology."
Another stereotype holds female doctors are more concerned about balancing their career with their family life than male doctors. From a personal standpoint, pre-med senior Aarthi Ram finds this stereotype to be rooted in truth.
"I would choose a specialization where I'm not on call all the time," she said. "Family is very important to me, and as a mother I would like to be able to spend a good amount of time with my children. I feel that this may be one reason certain women tend to be attracted to pediatrics and radiology."
According to the Academic Medicine article, the popularity of medical specialties that allow greater flexibility for personal time is rising. The article also noted an increase in part-time opportunities, leave-of-absence options at medical school and residency training, and flexibility when it comes to physicians' hours.
Though women in medicine are not completely responsible for these changes in opportunities, "they have definitely pushed the issue," Baffi-Dugan said.
