Policy and attitude-related reasons for gender disparity in post allocation for graduate medical education in Austria

Figures & data

Table

Practice points

Female physicians are in many countries disadvantaged in reaching their chosen medical specialty. It has been hypothesized that this is mainly due to an “unconscious process” on the part of consultants. Our study does not support this hypothesis. Most of physicians’ self-reported opinions for not achieving their chosen medical specialty have to do with the Austrian training post allocation procedures, which are based mainly on the subjective preferences and considerations of male and female consultants. According to those physicians who have not attained their chosen medical specialty female physicians were put at a disadvantage by consultants due to a conscious process based on reasoning about organizational aspects and on sex-stereotyping. Although, considerably more men than women achieve their chosen medical specialty men in our population are more often ready to change their chosen medical specialty when given a suitable chance.

Figure 1. This figure shows how many female and male physicians reached their initially CMS depending on the specialty of choice.

Table 1.  Physicians’ self-reported reasons for failing attainment of the specialty originally chosen^a

Self-perceived reasons	Female physicians (%)	Male physicians (%)
Was offered a different specialty. I grasped the opportunity	25	45
The waiting period for the preferred specialty was too long or too uncertain	31	26
Was not offered the preferred specialty	18	16
At a disadvantage due to having a child/children	20	3
My contract was not renewed after my GP training period	11	10
Other reasons (free answer questions consolidated)
Changed preference during postgraduate training	6	13
Enjoyed no favoritism	6	8
Was of the wrong sex	3	0
Wanted more time for my family	4	1

^aRespondents were allowed to state more than one reason.