Trends in gender distribution among anesthesiology residents: do they matter?

The number of women graduating from United States medical schools progressively increased during the 26 yr period from 1978 to 2004. This change was associated with shifts in the gender distribution of residents training in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited residency programs.

We compared trends in the number and gender distribution of residents enrolled in the 10 specialties with the largest national enrollment of residents.

The gender distribution of residents training in different specialty programs varies widely. The percentage of women enrolled in anesthesiology training programs is less than the national average, and the rate of increase is less than that of many other specialties.

The reasons for this distribution are multifactorial. Contributing factors may include limited exposure to women role models (including fewer women with senior academic rank and in leadership positions), gender insensitivity leading to an unprofessional work environment, limited involvement of women anesthesiologists in undergraduate medical education, misperceptions of the physician-patient relationship in anesthesiology, and practice scheduling requirements that are inconsistent and inflexible.