Changing gender profile of medical schools in South Africa
SOURCE: South African Medical Journal
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2008
TITLE AUTHOR(S): M.Breier, A.Wildschut
KEYWORDS: GENDER EQUALITY, HIGHER EDUCATION, MEDICAL SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 5488
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/5203
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/5203
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2008
TITLE AUTHOR(S): M.Breier, A.Wildschut
KEYWORDS: GENDER EQUALITY, HIGHER EDUCATION, MEDICAL SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES
DEPARTMENT: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 5488
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/5203
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/5203
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Background. Since 1994, higher education policy has been committed to equity of access for all, irrespective of race and gender. Objectives. We investigated progress towards these goals in the education of medical doctors, with an emphasis on gender. Methods. Databases from the Department of Education (DoE), Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and University of Cape Town (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences were used to explore undergraduate (MB ChB) trends at all eight medical schools and postgraduate (MMed) trends at UCT. Results. Nationally women have outnumbered men in MBChB enrolments since 2000, figures ranging between 52% and 63% at seven of the eight medical schools in 2005. However, the rate of change in the medical profession lags behind and it will take more than two decades for female doctors to outnumber male doctors. A study of UCT postgraduate enrolments shows that females had increased to 42% of MMed enrolments in 2005. However, female postgraduate students were concentrated in disciplines such as paediatrics and psychiatry and comprised no more than 11% of enrolments in the surgical disciplines between 1999 and 2005. Conclusions. The study provides a basic quantitative overview of the changing profile of medical enrolments and raises questions about the career choices of women after they graduate and the social factors influencing these choices.-
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