Breaking the gender barrier: a study on enrollment trends in medical specialties at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Abstract

Objective: To analyzes the gender gap among residents enrolled in the medical specialization program of the Graduate Division at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Facultad de Medicina.

Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive observational study of students registered in all 78 medical specialties offered by UNAM over a period of 7 years (2015-2022) at approximately 161 hospitals in Mexico.

Results: A total of 79 175 students were studied, we observed a predominance of women 51.69%, compared to 48.30% men. In medical specialties, we found a predominance of women of 57.33%, in contrast to surgical specialties with 44.76% women. The specialties with the most women enrolled were dermatology, neonatology, pediatrics, gynecology, and psychiatry. In men, the specialties with the most enrollment were general surgery, cardiology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery among others.

Conclusion: Women predominance is observed in some medical specialties, especially those that require caregiving tasks. However, a gap remains between men and women, particularly in surgical specialties and in higher decision-making positions. We suggest extending support networks to include men as well as women.