Trend: Number of female OB/GYNs rising

While no one's quite sure why, it seems that the volume of women who become OB/GYNs has gone up of late. There's a few signs that point in this direction. For example, females are the majority of members in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists for the first time. Also, according to the Association of American Colleges, as of 2007 women accounted for 75.7 percent of physicians entering the OB/GYN field, up from 74.5 percent in 2005. And there are some regional trends contributing to the growth in female OB/GYNs as well. For example, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, women accounted for 75 percent of OB/GYN program graduates, up from 43 percent in 1998.

So if this really a significant trend and not just an anomaly, what's driving the shift? Some say that it's because male students feel that for whatever reason (a lack of bonding with the patient, perhaps?) they're more vulnerable to malpractice suits. Other observers note that more women are requesting female OB/GYNs for religious or cultural reasons. However, nobody seems to have any concrete answers.

To find out more about this trend:
- read this Memphis Business Journal piece

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