Challenges facing female physicians in Egypt

The number of female physicians all over the world has grown considerably, yet little is known about these women. This study was conducted to explore challenges faced by Egyptian female physicians as they pursue their careers and find different ways of coping with these challenges. The mean age of participants was 31.09 years (SD = 6.46 years). Most of them were married (76.7%), and 40% were part of dual-doctor families (both partners were physicians). In all, 53% of participants were clinicians, 22% academics, and 25% house officers. All academics had no shift work compared with all house officers and 75% of clinicians. Challenges reported by physicians were either work or family related. Although overt discrimination was rare, many participants complained of subtle forms of bias. All participants reported that balancing work and family was more difficult than they ever expected. Participating physicians have dealt with challenges in different ways: deciding on a small family size (82.3%), the recruitment of a babysitter/housekeeper (76.3%), and sharing in the family income (62.0%). Physician training programs, workforce policy, and public expectations should recognize and adapt to the diverse and changing needs of physicians.