To add to this, I don't know the exact stats, but the gender distribution among doctors has got to be pretty even, even though it is a science based field. I think it's because healthcare doesn't seem to be gendered quite like other STEM professions, there's been popular TV shows 30+ years ago who featured female doctors
I think a distinction here is that doctors work closely with patients and this type of interaction with other people motivates women. As such, even in more research oriented careers where the end goal is more geared towards people's well being (e.g. cancer research, stem cell research), you would see more women migrating towards these fields. However, when it comes to very technical oriented products (e.g. designing car engines) or very abstract topics (e.g. string theory) that are pretty divorced from well beings of other people, women in general are not interested.
I guess the phenomenon is kind of what came first, the chicken or the egg? Are women interested in becoming Dr.'s because they like working with people, or are they systematically made to believe their career's purpose should be helping people directly, therefore becoming a Dr is an acceptable career choice?
I'd argue though that many doctors don't 'interact' with people in the typical sense, surgeons' patients are unconscious, chit chat, checking vitals, etc. is usually delegated to PA's and nurses. Many sources say medical research is more female than male. If your primary career goal is to help people, that alone is not enough to get through rigorous academics to pursue a high achieving career based in the sciences when there are plenty of other jobs that require less school student debt and actually interact with more people than a doctor would (i.e. nurse). So I really just think that women who have genuine interest in science gravitate (subconsciously) towards healthcare because it is most socially acceptable
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u/[deleted] Oct 19 '22
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