Inequities Faced by Female Doctors Serving Communities ofNeed

摘要

The reasons for sex inequity in medicine are complex and partly interface ethnicbackground, specialty choice, and practice location. Multiple factors influencecareer choices including cultural values, balancing family responsibilities withprofessional growth, and career mentoring and support. Over the last 40 years,the Sophie Davis/CUNY School of Medicine (CSOM) has pursued a mission toincrease diversity in medicine at the same time in which it has fostered theimportance of primary care and service in underserved areas of New York State.Data from 1524 CSOM graduates show an increase in the number of women andunderrepresented groups, with about a quarter of them working in HealthProfessional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). When compared with their male counterparts,our female graduates report lower income for similar work hours, with thisdisparity increasing slightly between female and male doctors working in HPSAs.In addition, our female graduates have chosen primary care specialties at aratio of nearly 2:1 when compared with their male peers. Despite theseinequities, our female graduates report satisfaction with their career choices,primarily due to a strong commitment to serving back patients in thosecommunities where some of them come from. More research is needed to identifyspecific factors that perpetuate pay inequity at the state level to minimize theimplications of disparity for women doctors, particularly those working inlow-income communities.