The General Medical Council announced today that female doctors now outnumber their male counterparts in the UK for the first ever time.
The regulator collected data that showed that 164.440 women (50.04%), compared to 164.195 men (49.96%), had a license to practice last month.
Women were allowed to practice medicine for the very first time under the Medical Act of 1876, but they had to wait until the British Medical Association was formed in 1892 to be able to become members.
Since 2015, the percentage of women who have a license to practice medicine has increased. The fact that more women are enrolling in UK medical schools is one of the main factors. In all four UK countries, the number of female medical students has increased since 2018-19. In 2023-24 the UK’s medical student intake will be 60% female. In Northern Ireland it was 72%.
In Scotland (54.8%) and Northern Ireland (53.5%), more women are working as doctors than men, but there are more men in England (49.7%) and Wales (47.3%).
GMC’s workforce report for November 2024 showed that, for the very first time, there were more white British doctors than ethnic minority doctors in the UK.
The GMC, BMA, and Medical Women’s Federation have renewed their calls for healthcare leaders in the UK to take into account the changing demographics within the medical community, given the extreme staffing and pressures that the UK’s health services are still facing.
Professor Dame Carrie MacEwen (chair of the GMC, consultant ophthalmologist) said: “This marks a major milestone.” This is a good thing for patients, as the demographics of medical staff are changing rapidly. Every doctor should be valued regardless of gender, race, or other characteristics.
Women who are training to be doctors face many challenges, which must be addressed. There is more work to be done for women who are already doctors to ensure that they have the opportunity to progress and have leadership roles so they can enjoy a long and rewarding career in medicine.
Dr Latifa Patel, chairperson of the BMA representative group, stated: “Retaining happy and satisfied women doctors at the NHS workplace must be a top priority.
The government and NHS must take specific measures to retain female doctors, such as career and work plans that recognize maternity leave and the need to balance the work with childcare responsibilities.
Women doctors by speciality
The statistics reveal that women are specialized in different types of medicine. Women are most prevalent in obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics (63%) as well as general practice (57%). The lowest percentages of women are found in emergency medicine (37%) and surgery (16.9%).
Women are increasingly choosing these fields. Emergency medicine grew at a rate of +7.8% in 2023-24 and surgery grew at a rate of +5.1%. The number of women working in ophthalmology increased by +3.7%. The occupational medicine field (+8.3%) saw the highest increase, with 37.7% of its workers being female.
Patel said: “These disparities cannot be tolerated for the advancement of careers or patient care, as patients of both genders should benefit from a doctor’s skills and expertise.”
Professor Scarlett McNally is a surgeon, and the president of MWF. She said that opportunities for postgraduate training to become a surgeon, are very limited and rigid. She stated that there are “too many training posts, rigid rotatings, and excessive administrative work – all of which need to be improved, especially since it often coincides during pregnancy and early parenting”.
“NHS clinical management roles should be advertised, with realistic options for time-sharing and role-sharing to attract the best leaders and encourage teamwork. Women doctors are a valuable untapped resource and we must value them.
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