Profile of Irish female GPs and factors affecting long-term commitment: a descriptive study

Over the past two decades, many countries have reported an increased percentage of female staff in the general practice workforce. Considering the importance of general practice workforce planning, it is necessary to investigate the current working patterns of female GPs.

To describe the female GP workforce in Ireland and to investigate factors that may affect their long-term commitment to general practice.

Descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted with female GPs in Ireland.

A 'membership survey' was emailed to 1985 female GPs in November 2021. In total, 345 female GPs responded, providing a response rate of 17.4%.

The study revealed that a majority of the female GP workforce in Ireland worked in the position of the GP principal (62.3%), but also provided out-of-hours services (64.3%), and undertook caring responsibilities (84.1%). In total, 41.2% of the responders disclosed having at least one paid additional role, mainly in the field of academia and teaching. Most female GPs worked fewer than eight clinical sessions a week (80.5%). GPs who held General Medical Services (GMS) contracts (72.8%) were significantly more likely to work more clinical sessions a week and had been longer employed in general practices (>5 years) than GPs who did not have GMS contracts.

Irish female GPs demonstrated a significant adjustment of their working patterns, including reducing their number of clinical sessions and balancing between additional roles, to ensure their long-term commitment to general practice. Current practices and vision on GP roles must be recognised and supported to allow for adequate workforce planning.