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Female Representation Has Increased In All Medical Specialties Except Ophthalmology

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Female representation of ophthalmology residents declined from 42.4% in 2011 to 40.6% in 2024.

Mentorship and outreach programs can help improve this disparity.

SALT LAKE CITY — Despite changes in the physician workforce, disparities in representation are still present in ophthalmology, according to a presenter.

"Although underrepresented in medicine (URiM) groups make up about 30% of the U.S. Population, they account for less than 12% of the physician workforce," Audrey Schulze said in an on demand presentation from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting. "Similarly, surgical specialties, including ophthalmology, have historically had lower female representation compared to nonsurgical fields."

Despite changes in the physician workforce, disparities are still present in ophthalmology.

Schulze and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of self-reported data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education collected between 2011 and 2024. They compared the number of male and female residents each year and separated data into four groups: ophthalmology, surgical, nonsurgical and all specialties to determine the amount of URiM residents. URiM individuals were defined as individuals from the analysis who identified as Black, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

Results showed an increase in URiM across all categories, but no statistically significant change among active ophthalmology residents. Female representation improved in the surgical and all specialty subgroups.

"Our findings suggest continued progress in URiM representation across the board, including in ophthalmology," Schulze said. "However, the overall percentages remain low."

Female representation among ophthalmologists dropped from 42.4% in 2011 to 40.6% in 2024, and the amount of female residents vs. Male residents in the specialty declined when compared to the surgical and all specialty subgroups.

"Female representation has declined in ophthalmology, diverting from broader positive trends," she said. "Further research is needed to understand the factors influencing these patterns."

To improve these issues of representation in ophthalmology, the authors suggested the implementation of mentorship and outreach initiatives.

Sources/DisclosuresCollapse Source: Schulze A. Underrepresented in medicine and gender trends in ophthalmology: A retrospective analysis. Presented at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting; May 4-8, 2025; Salt Lake City.

Disclosures: Healio could not confirm relevant financial disclosures for Schulze at the time of publication.

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29 Physician Specialties Ranked By 2022 Burnout Rates

Across the board, physician burnout has jumped 11 percentage points from 2018, when 42 percent of physicians said they were burned out. The "Medscape Physician Burnout & Depression Report 2023: 'I Cry and No One Cares'" is based on survey responses from more than 9,100 physicians across 29 specialties, which were collected between June and October 2022. At least one third of respondents in all specialties said they were burned out. 

Here's how each specialty stacked up: 

Note: This list includes ties

1. Emergency medicine — 65 percent of physicians reported burnout

2. Internal medicine — 60 percent

3. Pediatrics — 59 percent

4. Obstetrics and gynecology — 58 percent

Infectious diseases — 58 percent

5. Family medicine — 57 percent

6. Neurology — 55 percentCritical care — 55 percentAnesthesiology — 55 percent

7. Pulmonary medicine — 54 percentRadiology — 54 percent

8. Oncology — 52 percentGastroenterology — 52 percent

9. General surgery — 51 percentDiabetes and endocrinology — 51 percent

10. Rheumatology — 50 percent

11. Otolaryngology — 49 percentAllergy and immunology — 49 percentDermatology — 49 percent

12. Ophthalmology — 48 percent

13. Physical medicine and rehabilitation — 47 percentPsychiatry — 47 percentUrology — 47 percent

14. Plastic surgery — 46 percent

15. Orthopedics — 45 percent

16. Nephrology — 44 percent

17. Cardiology — 43 percent

18. Pathology — 39 percent

19. Public health and preventive medicine — 37 percent

Click here for more findings from the 2023 report. 

See how burnout rates by specialty compare to 2021 responses here. 

Women Making Up More Of Physician Workforce

The physician workforce in the U.S. Is slowly shifting as older doctors retire and younger doctors begin residencies to kickstart their careers.

More women are entering the profession, and certain specialties have seen boosted interest in the past few years, according to new data from Association of American Medical Colleges.

Some 37% of active physicians in the U.S. Were women in 2021, up from about 36% in 2019, and about 47% of residents and fellows were women, according to the AAMC report.

Large gender pay gaps still exist, however. A 2021 report from the Rand Corporation published in Health Affairs found female physicians earn $2 million less than men over the course of their career, with the largest gaps in male-dominated specialties.

That study found that male physicians in surgical specialties earned about $2.5 million more than female physicians while male physicians in primary care earned about $900,000 more than female physicians over their careers.

Across all genders, primary care specialties like internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics had the largest number of active physicians and residents in 2021, according to the AAMC report.

Women, however, accounted for of 65% of active physicians in pediatrics, compared to almost 6% in orthopedic surgery.

Women also accounted for 86% of obstetrics and gynecology residencies, compared to nearly 11% in sports medicine.

Interest in sports medicine as a specialty has grown significantly over the past few years, rising from 2,252 to 3,208 practicing physicians from 2016 to 2021.

Sports medicine also grew the most among residents and fellows, rising about 27% during that period, followed by psychiatry, which rose about 26%.

Some specialties have also seen declines in active physicians, like pulmonary disease. Residents declined in preventive medicine and pediatric anesthesiology.

The report includes race and ethnicity data for the first time, and found that about 64% of practicing physicians in the country were White, while about 20% were Asian, 7% were Hispanic — regardless of race — and about 6% were Black in 2021, according to the report.

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