Women's career choices in radiology in France

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the possible effects of gender on residents' and fellows' motivations in choosing radiology as a career in France, and on choosing a practice setting later on.

Material and methods: An online survey was sent to French residents and fellows in order to access their radiology practice and career aspirations, as well as the potential influence of their gender. Influence of being a woman on initial professional expectations, professional choices, and the evolution of career paths was investigated using the chi-square test.

Results: Responses were collected from 206 French residents and fellows. The reasons for choosing radiology residency were, at first, mostly the same for men and women such as interest in the specialty (100% of women and men), work conditions (74% of women and men), technical aspects of the specialty (63% of men and 52% of women, P=0.11) or "reasonable" workload (29% women and 21% men, P=0.19); however, 74% of women stated that maternity might influence their career choices, and were less interested in unstable positions exclusively in private practice (45% men and 33% women, P=0.05).

Conclusion: Male and female radiologists primarily considered the same factors in choosing their specialties. However, maternity is still a source of inequality in France, including fewer opportunities for fellowship positions or academic careers. Furthermore, more women were willing to work in salaried positions to acquire a secure job, even though compensation might be lower.

Keywords: Career choice; Fellowship; Gender issues; Medical residency; Women physicians.