Gender-specific differences in family practice graduates.

In 1979 the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) conducted a study of family practice residency graduates to develop a database of personal and professional characteristics. Questionnaires were sent to 4,295 physicians, and results were based on a total of 3,021 respondents. Female physicians made up 7.1 percent of this sample; however, analysis of the data at that time did not distinguish between men and women. The current study is a reanalysis of the data collected by the AAFP to include comparisons of male and female respondents and to determine whether gender differences that have been reported in the literature continue to persist. Results indicate that gender differences did persist in four of six areas studied; however, these differences were not so large as described in earlier studies. Areas in which differences were found are demographics, family structure, practice arrangements, and salary. Notable differences were not found in the areas of career choice development and professional activities. Now that the number of female physicians approaches 20 percent of all new family physicians, further data collection efforts are needed to determine their impact on family practice as a specialty.