Effects of Mandatory Residencies on Female Physicians' Specialty Choices: Evidence from Japan's New Medical Residency Program

Tsunao Okumura, Yuko Ueno () and Emiko Usui
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Yuko Ueno: Hitotsubashi University

No 16990, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Female physicians remain underrepresented in surgical specialties in Japan. The 2004 New Postgraduate Medical Education Program mandated a two-year rotating residency that allowed residents to choose their specialty after training in multiple fields, including surgery. Following this reform, there was a 2.7 percentage points increase in female physicians choosing general surgery and a 1.5 percentage points increase in urology being chosen, compared to male physicians, as well as a 3.4 percentage points decrease in internal medicine being chosen. This shift of female physicians toward male-dominated surgical specialties is primarily seen in breast surgery, catering to female patients, and in urology, known for its shorter workweeks.

Keywords: specialty choice; policy reform; gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J24 J44 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2024-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gen and nep-lma
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Published - published in: Labour Economics, 2024, 90, 102566

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Journal Article: Effects of mandatory residencies on female physicians’ specialty choices: Evidence from Japan's new medical residency program (2024)
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