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. 2013 May 21;2:19. doi: 10.1186/2045-4015-2-19

Table 2.

Gender differences in the perceptions of the six specialties (Women: n=122; Men: n=112)

 
Males
Females
Males
Females
Males
Females
  Pediatrics Pediatrics Anesthesiology Anesthesiology General General
 
 
 
 
 
Surgery
Surgery
Interesting and challenging specialty
38%
53%*
45%
42%
73%
51%*
Advanced specialty
34%
37%
39%
48%
37%
33%
Boring specialty
31%
12%*
37%
34%
11%
16%
Stressful specialty
27%
26%
70%
78%
95%
94%
Affords a controllable lifestyle
62%
64%
28%
20%
0%
0%
Possibility to work limited hours
56%
50%
21%
14%
1%
3%
Allows for family time
60%
62%
29%
18%
0%
0%
Long working hours
30%
21%
57%
67%*
99%
96%
Prestigious specialty (population)
30%
36%
5%
4%
75%
80%
Prestigious specialty (colleagues)
17%
13%
10%
11%
50%
43%
Opportunity for private practice
59%
58%
18%
22%
51%
42%
High salary
23%
21%
19%
22%
30%
33%
Reasonable ratio of lifestyle to income
57%
58%
22%
19%
4%
8%
Academic opportunities
50%
41%
45%
47%
63%
55%
Specialty in crisis
8%
6%
97%
96%
81%
68%
Specialty other students positively consider
69%
66%
0%
1%*
7%
5%
Specialty I am positively considering
24%
45%*
14%
5%*
32%
9%*
 
Males
Females
Males
Females
Males
Females
 
Orthopedic
Orthopedic
Obstetrics/
Obstetrics/
Family
Family
 
Surgery
Surgery
Gynecology
Gynecology
Medicine
Medicine
Interesting and challenging specialty
53%
30%*
64%
78%*
22%
27%*
Advanced specialty
58%
46%*
63%
76%*
22%
23%
Boring specialty
23%
36%
7%
8%
52%
44%*
Stressful specialty
51%
45%
78%
83%
13%
14%*
Affords a controllable lifestyle
14%
9%
8%
8%
96%
95%
Possibility to work limited hours
9%
10%
10%
13%
90%
93%
Allows for family time
11%
9%
6%
8%
91%
94%
Long working hours
79%
72%
83%
88%
6%
5%
Prestigious specialty (population)
48%
50%
64%
78%*
6%
9%
Prestigious specialty (colleagues)
34%
35%
53%
69%*
3%
1%
Opportunities for private practice
87%
78%
92%
87%
36%
37%
High salary
80%
77%
87%
69%
30%
31%
Reasonable ratio of lifestyle to income
55%
51%
48%
42%
78%
77%
Academic opportunities
48%
45%
79%
76%
9%
10%
Specialty in crisis
3%
4%
3%
3%
17%
15%
Specialty other students positively consider
58%
44%*
75%
78%
27%
36%*
Specialty I am positively considering 28% 6%* 32% 36% 13% 25%*

* vs males p <0.05.

Values are the percentage of agree/highly agree answers on a 5 point-Likert Scale.