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

Tsunao Okumura, Yuko Ueno and Emiko Usui

Labour Economics, 2024, vol. 90, issue C

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)
Date: 2024
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Working Paper: Effects of Mandatory Residencies on Female Physicians' Specialty Choices: Evidence from Japan's New Medical Residency Program (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:90:y:2024:i:c:s0927537124000617

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102566

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