The Changing Representation of Men and Women in United States Medical Residencies from 2014-2022

Abstract

Research Question: How have gender trends in US medical residents changed from 2014 to 2022 across all specialties?

Background and Significance: Historically, women have been underrepresented in medicine. While there have been studies on gender trends in certain individual specialties, few studies have examined the overall trends in gender among all specialties for US-based medical residents. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining gender trends in US medical residents from 2014 to 2022 across all specialties.

Materials and Methods: The data for this study were obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Report on Residents annual reports from 2014-2022. The number and proportion of men and women were recorded for each of the 32 primary residency choices. The gender distribution within each residency was then assessed and compared over the nine-year study period.

Results: Our analysis showed that more women are in medical residencies in 2022 than in any other year during the study period. Over the past nine years, there has been a 2.37% average annual increase in the proportion of women in all surgical specialties. Furthermore, 62% of medical specialties have experienced an increase in the proportion of women filling residency slots in the past nine years. In 2022, the residency with the highest proportion of women was Obstetrics and Gynecology (86.4%), and the residency with the highest proportion of men was Orthopedic Surgery (81.7%).

Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for further research to understand the factors contributing to these trends and how to continue to improve diversity and representation in the physician workforce.