In 2009, half of all newly minted physicians will be female; in 1969 that figure was fewer than one in ten. In their detailed, data-driven portrait of the dramatic rise of women in medicine, Ann Boulis and Jerry Jacobs do an excellent job of explaining both the reasons for the trend toward numerical equality among physicians and its key consequences. They argue that women entered medicine primarily because broad barriers were lifted—not, as others have suggested, because women were more willing than men to accept (or contributed to) occupational status decline. In addition, as practicing physicians, women differ little from men in their overall patterns of care, and as future leaders of the profession they are unlikely to exhibit much difference in leadership style.- Forrest Briscoe (Industrial and Labor Relations Review) The number of women entering medical school and residency and practicing medicine in the United States has grown steadily over the past four decades. The Changing Face of Medicine is an exploration of multiple aspects of this change, including societal developments, immigration, economics, and the women's movement.... This book will allow educators, administrations, reformers, and representatives of funding sources—as well as future physicians—to understand how American medicine came to be as it is now.- Bonnie J. Dattel, MD (New England Journal of Medicine)
