Women in medicine: stresses and solutions

The number of women choosing medicine as a career continues to grow. In 1960, women made up 6% of all physicians; in 2000, they comprise about a third of the physician population. Almost half of the students in medicals school are female. Women are reshaping the way medicine is practiced. Women physicians generally report being satisfied with their career, but many would not become a physician again if given a choice or would choose a different specialty.1 Female physicians experience all the stressors that their male colleagues face, but deal with additional stressors unique to them.