Women in U.S. Academic Medicine Statistics 1998-1999

by Janet Bickel, Associate Vice President, Medical Schools Affairs; Valarie Clark, Associate Director, Women's Programs; and Renee Marshall Lawson, Administrative Assistant

Applicants and Students | Residents | Medical School Faculty | Data from Benchmarking Survey for 1999

In addition to data from traditional AAMC sources, this year's compendium displays benchmarking data from 94% of U.S. medical schools, collected under the aegis of AAMC's Project Implementation Committee on Increasing Women's Leadership.

Applicants and Students

As Table 1 (PDF or Excel) shows, in contrast to rapid growth in the 1970s and steady growth in the 1980s, the proportion of women applicants plateaued and only this year broke 43%. In 1998-99, women constituted 44% of new entrants to U.S. medical schools.

As Table 2 (PDF or Excel) shows, between 1997-98 and 1998-99, the number of women applicants declined 486 (2.6%); the number of men applicants decreased 1530 (6.2%). The proportion of both women and men applicants accepted increased, with 43.2% of women and 41.7% of men accepted.

In 1998-99, women made up the majority of new entrants at 21 schools (see Medical School Admission Requirements, 2000-2001, Table 5a).

Residents

The proportion of women in residency programs has grown from 22% of all residents in 1980 to 36% in 1998. The only specialties in which the proportion of residents who are women did not increase between 1997 and 1998 are: emergency medicine, internal medicine subspecialties, neurological surgery, otolaryngology, pediatrics, psychiatry subspecialties, diagnostic radiation and transitional year programs.

As shown in Table 3 (PDF or Excel), the specialties with the highest proportion of women residents are obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics, where 64% are women. The proportion of women in most of the surgical subspecialties remains low: e.g., urology, 11%; orthopedic surgery, 7%;and thoracic surgery, 6%.

Of the 36,399 women residents in 1998, over one-quarter are training in internal medicine (including subspecialties). The next highest concentrations are 16% in pediatrics (including subspecialties), 14% in family practice, 9% in obstetrics/gynecology, and 7% in psychiatry (include subspecialty). The proportion of women residents training in each of the surgical subspecialties remains below 1%. Neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and urology garner less than .4% each; thoracic surgery and colon/rectal, less than .1%.

Medical School Faculty

The most recent AAMC Faculty Roster System data appear in Table 4 (PDF or Excel) and Figures 1-3. The proportion of full-time faculty who are women grew from 26% in the previous two years to 27% in 1999. Table 4 (PDF or Excel) shows the number and percent of women by clinical and basic science department (the totals do not include allied health/other health professionals faculty). A comparison of departments reveals that orthopedic surgery continues to have the lowest proportion of faculty who are women (10%); pediatrics is highest (41%).

Table 4 (PDF or Excel) also shows the proportion of women associate and full professors in each department. The following five departments have the highest proportion of women full professors: public health (21%), pediatrics (19%), anatomy (19%), and microbiology and physical medicine (17%); surgery (4%) and orthopedic surgery (2%) continue to have the lowest proportion of women full professors.

Figure 1 (PDF or Powerpoint) (displays the proportions of men and women faculty by rank. Of all women faculty, 10.5% are full professors; 19.3% associate professors; 49.6% assistant professors, and 17.9% instructors. For men, these proportions are: 30.7%; 24.3%; 35.6%; and 8%. The distribution of men and women across ranks has remained quite stable.

Of special concern is that the proportion of women at the full professor rank is growing so slowly. For instance, in 1989, it was 9.3%; in 1992, 9.5%; and in 1999, 10.5%. Assuming continuing growth of 1.44% per year (ie, the rate of increase between 1992 and 1999), it will take at least 25 years for this proportion to reach 15%, that is, half the proportion of men faculty at the rank of full professor.

This calculation of the representation of women is often confused with the proportion of professors who are women, in part because the results are so similar; that is, 10.5% of all women faculty are full professors (Figure 1 (PDF or Powerpoint)) and 11% of all full professors are women (Table 4 (PDF or Excel).

On average there are 20 women full professors per medical school, including non-tenured and basic sciences faculty, compared to 160 men full professors per school. While they remain few (only 2556), the number of women full professors is growing at a faster rate than the number of men at this rank. Between 1994 and 1999, women full professors increased 673 (a 36% increase in 5 years); men increased 1290 (or 7%).

Figure 2 (PDF or Powerpoint) shows the distribution of faculty by terminal degree: 60% of women and 66% of men faculty are M.D.s, with an additional 3% and 7%, respectively, who are M.D.-Ph.D.s. A higher proportion of women than men lack a doctorate.

Figure 3 (PDF) displays the ethnic breakdown of women faculty; 18% are non-white. While not shown here, compared to white faculty, underrepresented minority groups have a higher proportion of women faculty.

Data from Benchmarking Survey for 1998

AAMC's Project Implementation Committee on Increasing Women's Leadership refined and expanded the first (1997) benchmarking survey, thus the second year of this data collection project yielded more extensive and reliable information than was reported in last year's Women in U.S. Academic Medicine Statistics. As of August 1999, 118 (94%) schools returned the 1998 benchmarking survey (mailed from AAMC President Jordan Cohen to U.S. medical school deans, January 1999).

At the beginning of the first 4 tables, the national average for those categories appears; at the end of each of the tables are additional statistics as appropriate to assist each school in comparing itself to the other responding schools. Following are a few highlights, including comparisons where possible with the results from last year:

Benchmarking Table 1 (PDF or Excel): Faculty Rank and Tenure

The percent of tenured faculty who are women increased from 13% in 1997 to 15% in 1998. But the percent of women who are tenured held at 17%, whereas the percent of men who are tenured dropped from 37% to 33%.

Benchmarking Table 2 (PDF or Excel): New Hires, Departures and Promotions

In 1998 the percentage of new faculty hires who are women averaged 36%; in 1997 this percentage was 32%.

In 1998, the percentage of faculty departures who are women averaged 30%; in 1997, this percentage was 26%.

At 34/114 (30%) of schools, the percent of departures who are women exceed the percent of new hires who are women (in 1997, this was true at 36% of respondents).

The percent of women among those granted tenure (all ranks) in 1998 was 22% (not asked in 1997).

The percent of women among those promoted from assistant to associate professor is 29% and among those promoted from associate to full professor, 21% (not asked in 1997).

Benchmarking Table 3 (PDF or Excel): Administrative Positions

Women department chairs number 165 (about 6% of all department chairs). There are 28 schools with no women department chairs.

The number of women assistant, associate, and senior associate deans rose to 422, from 394 in 1997. There are 3 schools with no women in any decanal position. [As of 9/1/99, six of the 125 U.S. medical school deans are women: Dr. Amira Gohara, Medical College of Ohio; Dr. Patricia Monteleone, St. Louis University School of Medicine; Dr. Helena Rosa (interim), Universidad Central Del Caribe; Dr. Deborah Powell, University of Kansas School of Medicine; Dr. Carolyn Robinowitz, Georgetown University School of Medicine; and Dr. Anna Cherrie Epps, Meharry Medical School].

Benchmarking Table 4 (PDF or Excel): Women on Committees

Women average 25% of the membership of major institutional committees; they chair an average of 1 of these committees per school.

Women are least likely to be serving on Dean's Advisory/Executive committees (14% of membership) and most likely to be on Student Admissions (32%).

Benchmarking Table 5 (PDF or Excel): Women Faculty Organizations and Committees

13% of respondents report a formal women faculty organization and an additional 31% have an informal one; these have been in existence an average of 9 years and meet an average of 7 times a year.

21% of schools have a standing committee on gender equity/women's advancement

Benchmarking Table 6 (PDF or Excel): Support for WIM Programs

At 69% of schools, annual funding from the dean's office is allocated to the WIM program; at 23% of these, some of this funding supports 1 or more salaries (median amount: $19,752); the median "other support" is $7,471 in 1998.

At 36% of schools, someone's job description includes staffing or overseeing the WIM program.

Note to Women Liaison Officers and Other School Representatives

Beginning in December 1999, respondents to the benchmarking survey and WLOs may request a Microsoft PowerPoint file of Figures 1-2 and a series of slides displaying the national averages from each of the benchmarking tables (contact Renee Marshall Lawson (202) 828-0521). The ready availability of these data will facilitate presentations on women's representation to groups within the institution.

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