Gender differences in physician stress: why the discrepant findings?

Studies investigating sources of occupational stress as perceived by male and female physicians in the United States, Canada, and Britain are reviewed. Since men and women experience different conditions of work, such as career and opportunity structures, power, and benefits, gender differences in physician stress would be expected. However, studies in all three countries reveal ambiguous findings, some discovering gender-specific sources of stress among physicians and some not. An explanation for these contrasting results is found in the methodology, especially in how sources of stress were measured. Gender differences surfaced only where open-ended questions were asked, whereas none were found when stress inventories were used. Because much occupational stress research, including that on physicians, is based upon male or predominantly male populations, results do not necessarily apply to women. To solve pragmatic problems of stress on the job, measures of work stress unique to women need to be developed and systematically explored.