Gender differences in specialty preference among medical Students at Aleppo University: a cross-sectional study

This study aims to identify gender differences in specialty preference and career choice among Syrian medical students. A cross-sectional study comprising currently enrolled second, fourth and sixth year medical students at Aleppo University was conducted. Demographics, specialty preferences and fac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC medical education 2020-06, Vol.20 (1), p.184-184, Article 184
Main Authors: Asaad, Malke, Zayegh, Obada, Badawi, Joud, Hmidi, Zina Shikh, Alhamid, Ahmad, Tarzi, Mario, Agha, Sarab
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analysis
Career Choice
Career development
Careers
Cross-Sectional Studies
Decision Making
Dentistry
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
Employment
Female
Females
Gender
Gender differences
Gender equality
Gender Equity
Humans
Internal medicine
Male
Males
Medical education
Medical libraries
Medical schools
Medical Students
Medicine
Pediatrics
Pharmacy
Preferences
Residency preferences
Sex Factors
Specialization - statistics & numerical data
Specialty
Statistical analysis
Students
Students, Medical - statistics & numerical data
Surgery
Surveys
Surveys and Questionnaires
Syria
Working hours
Young Adult
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Summary:This study aims to identify gender differences in specialty preference and career choice among Syrian medical students. A cross-sectional study comprising currently enrolled second, fourth and sixth year medical students at Aleppo University was conducted. Demographics, specialty preferences and factors influencing this decision were collected and analyzed. A total of 561 students (44% males, 56% females) responded to our survey (87% response rate). Surgical specialties (40%) and internal medicine (16%) comprised the two most common specialties chosen by males. In contrast, the majority of females preferred other specialties (17%), internal medicine (16%) and surgical specialties (15%). The most common factor affecting the choice of a specialty by both genders (74% females and 71% males) was 'A specialty that I like and find interesting'. Work/life balance and anticipated income were the second most common influencing factors by females (62%), males (67%), respectively. The majority of both genders supported the idea that medical students should be able to pursue any medical specialty they want, regardless of their gender. However, females more often believed that they had decreased opportunities for professional advancement based on their gender compared to males (33% vs. 4% respectively, p 
ISSN:1472-6920
1472-6920
DOI:10.1186/s12909-020-02081-w