More than half of all medical school matriculates are women, but the number of female radiologists remains constant at around 28%. Women just aren't going into radiology.
Women don't want to deal with the competition, spend five years in residency, or work in what they perceive as a very solitary field, according to Dr. Julia Fielding, secretary of the American Association of Women Radiologists and section head of abdominal imaging at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Some people don't want to jump through the hoops anymore. I find that some people just tire of that,” she said.
On top of that, interviews favor aggressive candidates who practically jump out of their chair with excitement in order to get the slot, according to Fielding.
“I want someone who can carry the conversation with me, and I think for a long time men have come up in that sort of environment,” she said. “Many women, I've found, do a much quieter interview. It doesn't mean they're not as smart, but it does mean they may not be remembered at the end of the day.”
Another factor deterring women from choosing radiology is time. The areas of medicine filled with women are psychiatry, ob/gyn, internal medicine, and pediatrics, all of which have shorter three-year residencies.
Even though the radiology residency is only two years more, it can still be a deterrent. If women want children, those two extra years spent in residency can be a lot.
“If you've got young kids and you want to get out there, it makes a difference,” Fielding said.
There is also a perception that radiologists don't interact with other people much, which may be off-putting for some women.
“Some of my colleagues say, ‘You have such a nice personality, why would you want to be a radiologist?' Or ‘Why do you want to work in the dark with all those vampires?'” she said.
If a woman is drawn to the role of caregiver, the perception of radiology can be a turnoff since it's not seen as a “nurturing” specialty.
Addressing the paucity of women in radiology through mentoring, exposure to radiology early on, and promotion of female role models will help encourage women to choose radiology, Fielding said.
Her prescription includes the bottom-up approach of mentoring women, reviewing their applications, playing up their strengths, and trying to get them into residencies, as well as the top-down approach of showcasing women in senior positions.
“It's easy to hire people who are the same as you if you're not careful,” she said. “They get along with you, they like the same kind of coffee, and of course they're interesting, you like them. It's a little bit harder to go and hire people who are not like you, whether they be people of color or women or whatever. But once you can get one or two through the door, you're good. Then people get a little bit more used to it.”
—RM
