Table 2.
Occupational heritability among physicians
| Years of birth | 1950-59 v 1980-90, P value* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 1950-59 | 1960-69 | 1970-79 | 1980-90 | ||
| Educational background available for both parents (No) | 27 788 | 5660 | 5522 | 7440 | 9166 | |
| At least one parent was a physician (%) | 14.0 | 6.4 | 9.5 | 15.9 | 20.0 | <0.001 |
| Both parents were physicians (%) | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 4.2 | <0.001 |
| Educational background known for at least one sibling (No) | 29 066 | 7046 | 5786 | 7352 | 8882 | |
| At least one sibling was a physician (%) | 13.6 | 14.0 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 12.9 | 0.05 |
| Educational background available for at least one aunt or uncle (No) | 18 360 | 568 | 3538 | 6558 | 7696 | |
| At least one aunt or uncle was a physician (%) | 8.9 | 1.6 | 5.8 | 8.6 | 11.0 | <0.001 |
| Educational background known for at least one grandparent (No) | 18 061 | 508 | 3240 | 6512 | 7801 | |
| At least one grandparent was a physician (%) | 2.4 | 0 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 3.5 | <0.001 |
Overview of occupational heritability in medicine for physicians in the study population, born in 1950-90, by decade of birth. The four types of relatives were: parents, siblings, aunts or uncles, and grandparents. For each type of relative, the study population was restricted to individuals with at least one relative whose educational background was known. For the analysis involving parents, the study population was restricted to physicians where the educational background for both parents was available.
*
P value for a two sided t test for difference in means between individuals with a medical degree born in 1950-59 and 1980-90.