Skip to main content
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1979 Nov;69(11):1132–1139. doi: 10.2105/ajph.69.11.1132

Attitudes of women and men physicians.

M Heins, J Hendricks, L Martindale, S Smock, M Stein, J Jacobs
PMCID: PMC1619295  PMID: 507244

Abstract

Attitudinal data obtained from interviewing random samples of women and men physicians in metropolitan Detroit indicated that women were generally more liberal and egalitarian than men. Older women were more liberal/egalitarian than older men while younger men were closer in attitudes to younger women. Within specialities, women and men physicians frequently held similar attitudinal scores; however, controlling for age, sex accounted for more variation than did specialty. A weighted combination of variables which together most significantly discriminated between age and sex subgroups pointed to a sensitivity dimension. This was stronger in the women; yet men demonstrating a similar sensitivity were found in almost every age and specialty grouping. Although younger men physicians are less conservative than older men physicians, both younger and older women physicians demonstrated strong liberalism/egalitarianism.

Full text

PDF
1137

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Austin G. B., Maher M. M., LoMonaco C. J. Women in dentistry and medicine: attitudinal survey of educational experience. J Dent Educ. 1973 Nov;37(11):11–17. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bluestone N. R. The future impact of women physicians on American medicine. Am J Public Health. 1978 Aug;68(8):760–763. doi: 10.2105/ajph.68.8.760. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Butler J. J., Hage J. T. Physician attitudes toward a hospital program in medical education. J Med Educ. 1966 Oct;41(10):913–946. doi: 10.1097/00001888-196610000-00001. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cartwright L. K. Personality differences in male and female medical students. Psychiatry Med. 1972 Jul;3(3):213–218. doi: 10.2190/u450-6nhc-mjle-hjw6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Colombotos J. Physicians and medicare: a before-after study of the effects of legislation on attitudes. Am Sociol Rev. 1969 Jun;34(3):318–334. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Colombotos J. Physicians' attitudes toward a county health department. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1969 Jan;59(1):53–59. doi: 10.2105/ajph.59.1.53. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Colombotos J. Social origins and ideology of physicians: a study of the effects of early socialization. J Health Soc Behav. 1969 Mar;10(1):16–29. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Comrey A. L., Newmeyer J. A. Measurement of radicalism-conservatism. J Soc Psychol. 1965 Dec;67(2):357–369. doi: 10.1080/00224545.1965.9922287. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Davis M. S. Research in medical education. Attitudinal and behavioral aspects of the doctor-patient relationship as expressed and exhibited by medical students and their mentors. J Med Educ. 1968 Mar;43(3):337–343. doi: 10.1097/00001888-196803000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Goldman L., Cannon J., Davey L. M. Private physicians' attitudes toward changing their practices. New Haven, Connecticut, doctors give their opinions on different organizational patterns and reimbursement mechanisms. Conn Med. 1974 Apr;38(4):177–180. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Goldman L. Doctors' attitudes toward national health insurance. Med Care. 1974 May;12(5):413–423. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197405000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Goldman L. Factors related to physicians' medical and political attitudes: a documentation of intraprofessional variations. J Health Soc Behav. 1974 Sep;15(3):177–187. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Haar E., Halitsky V., Stricker G. Factors related to the preference for a female gynecologist. Med Care. 1975 Sep;13(9):782–790. doi: 10.1097/00005650-197509000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Haycock C. E., Weiss-Schwartz S. New Jersey women physicians--their opinions on today's world. J Am Med Womens Assoc. 1973 Jun;28(6):296–passim. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Heins M., Smock S., Jacobs J., Stein M. Productivity of women physicians. JAMA. 1976 Oct 25;236(17):1961–1964. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Heins M., Smock S., Martindale L., Jacobs J., Stein M. Comparison of the productivity of women and men physicians. JAMA. 1977 Jun 6;237(23):2514–2517. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hudson Rosen R. A. et. Health professionals' attitudes toward abortion. Public Opin Q. 1974 Summer;38(2):159–173. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hulbert R. C., Settlage R. H. Birth control and the private physician: The view from Los Angeles. Fam Plann Perspect. 1974 Winter;6(1):50–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McGuire L. S., Stern M. Survey of incidence of and physicians' attitudes toward sexual assault. Public Health Rep. 1976 Mar-Apr;91(2):103–109. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Nathanson C. A., Becker M. H. The influence of physicians' attitudes on abortion performance, patient management and professional fees. Fam Plann Perspect. 1977 Jul-Aug;9(4):158–163. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. STEINMANN A., LEVI J., FOX D. J. FEMININE ROLE PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN PHYSICIANS. SELF-PERCEPTION OF WOMEN PHYSICIANS AS COMPARED TO THEIR PERCEPTION OF IDEAL WOMAN AND MEN'S IDEAL WOMEN. J Am Med Womens Assoc. 1964 Sep;19:776–782. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Savage R., Wilson A. Doctors' attitudes to women in medicine. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1977 Jun;27(179):363–365. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Serena B., Sullivan P., Stack J., Smith R., Eliot J. Attitudes toward Michigan's abortion law and experience of Michigan physicians with requestss for abortion. Mich Med. 1971 Apr;70(8):309–316. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Silver M. A. Birth control and the private physician. Fam Plann Perspect. 1972 Apr;4(2):42–46. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Steinmann A., Fox D. J. Male and female physicians' perceptions of ideal feminine roles. J Am Med Womens Assoc. 1967 Mar;22(3):184–188. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Walton H. J. Sex differences in ability and outlook of senior medical students. Br J Med Educ. 1968 Jun;2(2):156–162. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1968.tb01759.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES