[Women in the medical profession in Israel]

This paper describes the current status of women physicians in Israel at various stages in their professional careers: in medical school, in the medical specialties and in academia. In the past, as in most western countries, medicine in Israel was regarded as a man's profession. The last decade has seen major demographic changes: the proportion of women entering medical school is now similar to that of men, and as a result of immigration from the former Soviet Union, the percentage of women physicians is approaching the level in eastern European countries. Recent findings show an increase in women in all specialty areas. However, they are concentrated in the lower status strata and in primary care, occupying the base of the academic pyramid. It appears that when objective criteria are employed, such as for admission to medical school and licensing examinations, women and men have similar levels of achievement. However, when subjective criteria are used, such as in admission to residency training, gender-based differences in distribution in the medical specialties are apparent. We suggest implementing objective standards for acceptance for residency training which should help equalize the status of women in the Israeli medical establishment.