["Pink collar" medicine: implications of the feminization of the profession]

The rising number and proportion of women in medicine has implications for patient care as well as for the health care delivery system as a whole. Women physicians tend to establish more reciprocal relationships with patients, and are more likely to listen to psycho-social problems than their male colleagues. Other gender-based differences are evident in the practice settings and sites chosen by the two sexes. Women cluster in certain specialties, and are more likely to locate in urban areas and have salaried practices. They also work fewer hours and have lower incomes than their male counterparts. These differences have created heirarchical distinctions within the medical profession. This in turn suggests the possibility of the creation of a "pink collar" medicine.