Gender patterns amongst Canadian anesthesiologists

The specialty of anesthesiology in Canada has traditionally had a larger proportion of male practitioners. More recently, however, the proportion of female medical students has increased. We sought to determine if the gender ratio within the specialty of anesthesiology in Canada has followed the female:male distribution patterns within medical schools.

Gender-specific data were obtained from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS), and the Program Director from each of the 16 Canadian Anesthesiology Residency Training Programs.

The ratio of practicing female:male anesthesiologists increased from 0.29:1 in 1998 to 0.34:1 in 2005. The ratio was greatest in the youngest age grouping (< 45 yr), at 0.49:1, and lowest in the > 64 age group, at 0.16:1. As of the 2004-2005 academic year, there were 201 women in a Canadian anesthesiology residency program vs 316 males, a female:male ratio of 0.64:1. Female medical students were less likely to rank anesthesiology residency as their first choice in the annual CaRMS match as compared to their male counterparts; a mean of 21 female medical students ranked an English anesthesiology residency program as their first choice in the CaRMS match, vs a mean of 35 males, from 1993-2005 (inclusive).

The number (and female:male ratio) of women in anesthesiology in Canada is increasing gradually. However, more males continue to enter the field than women. This may be explained by a lower number of women who rank anesthesiology as their first choice in the annual CaRMS match.