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2025 is likely to contain a significant milestone in the history of the medical profession: the tipping point at which women will outnumber men among working doctors.

Currently, women make up around 49% of the workforce, but with 60% of the newest cohort of medical students being female, the needle is sure to tick over soon. When the RMBF was founded, in 1836, only men were permitted to be doctors, and the profession has been male-dominated for most of the charity’s life. Our local fundraising Guilds began as Ladies’ Guilds, run by the wives of doctors. It is fair to say that a lot has changed.

One area in which women are over-represented, however, is in receiving support from the RMBF. Around 70% of our beneficiaries are women, a pattern which is consistent across recent years. Other charities and organisations supporting doctors report a similar gender split.

Causes and effects

Why is this the case? There is no one simple answer, rather multiple factors combined. One factor is the well-documented stigma that can prevent doctors from seeking help, for fear of being seen as weak, or unable to cope with the demands of the job. This seems to affect women less severely than men, meaning they feel more able to reach out for support.

The medical profession also still has a significant gender pay gap. In England, women hospital doctors earn on average 19% less than men. Women GPs earn on average 15% less than men and clinical academics 12% less. Doctors with children are also reported to experience extra financial pressures, a burden which falls particularly heavily on women.

Sadly, we have also seen a significant increase in people seeking our help due to domestic abuse over the last five years. Previously occasional cases, the issue now accounts for 6% of the charity’s caseload. And though anyone can suffer this type of abuse, women are around twice as likely as men to experience it, and more likely to be seriously harmed as a result.

Outside of the home, women are also more likely to experience sexual assault or harassment in the workplace. At our 2024 AGM in September, we were pleased to welcome Dr Becky Fisher, a general surgery Registrar whose PhD research focuses on gender bias in medical training, and Dr Chelcie Jewitt, co-founder of the ‘Surviving in Scrubs’ website, which campaigns to end sexism and sexual violence in the profession.

Their insightful panel discussion, with RMBF Chair Mr Duncan Bew, included stark stories of harassment reported by doctors. It served to clearly underline that parity in numbers is far from sufficient to achieve true gender equality in medicine.

Pushing for change

How can we make change? Firstly, with your help, the RMBF can play a vital direct role by providing tailored financial support, taking into account each applicant’s needs and the hardships they are facing – including those that fall more often on women.

This could mean help with childcare costs for a single mother, who wants to return to medical practice after an illness. Or for someone whose physical or mental health has suffered due to abuse, we could help with living costs while they seek the healthcare they need to recover.

We are also very proud to say that the newest generation of women in medicine are choosing to support their peers by volunteering for the RMBF, spreading the word about the help we offer. We now have more medical student volunteers than ever before, and roughly three-quarters of those are women.

The overcoming of systemic inequalities takes everyone working together, from individuals, to teams, to organisations large and small. We can all be pillars in a larger structure of support, one that works to end the stigma of seeking help for everyone, while helping women thrive in a profession that still holds challenges.

Further reading

RMBF’s Claire Andersen on the effects of domestic violence on healthcare workers