Medical students' attitudes towards women: a sex-linked variable?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Gender Studies
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Background:

• Attitudes of medical students towards women and obstetrics/gynaecology are crucial for patient care.
• Understanding potential biases is essential for improving medical training and practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess changes in second-year clinical students' attitudes after a 2-month obstetrics and gynaecology attachment.
• To identify gender-based differences in student attitudes towards women and the specialty.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 210 (95%) second-year clinical students before and after their attachment.
• Responses were analyzed to identify significant changes and gender-based differences.

Main Results:

• Few significant changes were observed in overall attitudes post-attachment, except concerning abortion, sterilization, and obstetric practice.
• A striking finding was the significant difference in responses between male and female students (p < 0.01) in 26 out of 32 questions.
• Male students were more likely to agree with negatively stereotyped statements about women.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights persistent gender-based attitudinal differences among medical students in obstetrics and gynaecology.
• Medical educators must actively address and challenge negative stereotypes to improve patient treatment and support female doctors.
• Without intervention, negative patient experiences and underutilization of female doctors' potential may continue.