The feminization of the medical profession in Israel

Abstract

Two factors have caused major changes in the gender composition of the Israeli medical profession in recent years: (i) a wave of immigration from the former USSR, which increased the doctor population by approximately 70% and which included a majority of women physicians, and (ii) the entry of more Israeli women into medical school. This report presents the current gender status of the Israeli medical profession, regarding students and physicians, and the choice of medical specialty and academic seniority, and compares gender differences in Israel with those in other countries. Traditional patterns of specialization persist in Israel, with women still concentrated in primary care (family medicine, paediatrics and psychiatry). In addition, women still face obstacles in entering the more prestigious (mainly surgical) specialties. Whilst the number of women in academic medicine has increased over the last decade, women are still concentrated in the lowest echelons of academic medicine. However, the steady trend towards the feminization of medicine will inevitably lead to an increase of women in all areas of the medical profession. Because cross-cultural studies have repeatedly revealed that women doctors have a more humanistic and personalized approach to patient care, a higher ratio of women in the profession should have a qualitative effect in this direction, despite the bureaucratic and fiscal constraints incumbent upon practising doctors. As more women become role models for medical students, their approach will influence the education of the doctors of the future.

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