Gender imbalances in medical specialties

Data from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) shows that some medical specialties attract more females than males and vice versa. According to the AAMC’s 2017 Report on Residents, the most popular specialty for female residents was OB-GYN (83%) and the most popular for male residents was orthopedic surgery (85%). The data looks at both U.S./Canada medical school graduates and international medical graduates who were active residents in the 2016-2017 training year.  

Other specialties with a majority of female residents include:

• Pediatrics: 73%
• Allergy and immunology: 70%
• Medical genetics: 67%
• Dermatology: 64%

Other specialties with a majority of male residents include:

• Neurological surgery: 83%.
• Thoracic surgery: 74%
• Radiology: 74%
• Vascular surgery: 67%
• Otolaryngology: 65%.
• Plastic surgery: 62%

The study also looked at trends of practicing physicians. Of physicians who completed residency training between 2007-2016, 51% of men are practicing in the state where they completed their residency, compared to 59% of women. For males, family medicine physicians were the most likely to remain in state after residency; for females, it was vascular surgeons.

Source: AAMC