Opportunities for Women

The dramatic change in the admission picture for women is reflected in two major ways. The first manifestation is evident in the number of women being accepted (currently more than 50%) and the number of women in recent graduation classes (presently more than 40%). Second is the sustained character of the positive enrollment picture for women, which has extended for more than 25 years. Thus, while the year-to-year increases have been small over the last few years, they have maintained the forward momentum to the point where an average 40% enrollment level for women in U.S. medical schools becomes a realistic expectation. This is especially true since the white male segment of the applicant pool has decreased sharply over the past 25 years, from nearly 80% to less than 50%, while female applicants constitute well over 40% of the pool, a threefold increase over the same period.

The prospects for women in medicine are more encouraging now than at any other time in the past century. This is clearly evident from a review of the percentages of women accepted in recent years, which establishes that an equal percentage of women to men were accepted from their respective applicant pools. Therefore, it can be anticipated that women will continue to make up a large part of medical school classes in the coming years.

The obvious conclusion is that women now make up a major, permanent segment of the available freshman places.