Hamburg, February 9, 2023 – For the first time in the history of medicine in Germany, there are more female doctors than male doctors in outpatient care: the proportion of women is now 50.3 percent. This is shown by the latest analysis by the Health Foundation on outpatient care in Germany.
“This means that what our gender study from 2018 had already announced has now happened,” reports CEO Christoph Dippe. At that time, the Health Foundation had extrapolated how the proportions of men and women in outpatient care would change in the years to come. “In 2018, the proportion of women was still 46.0 percent – we predicted the turning point five years later,” says Dippe.
The highest proportion of women in the psychotherapeutic field
The disciplines with the highest proportion of women are primarily in the field of psychotherapy: child and adolescent psychotherapists are at the forefront (79.4 percent), followed by psychological psychotherapists (75.0 percent). Specialists in gynecology and obstetrics follow in third place (73.2 percent).
The lowest proportion of women is found in oral and maxillofacial surgery (13.8 percent), in orthopedics or orthopedics and accident surgery (14.1 percent) and in neurosurgery (14.5 percent).
The basis: The structure directory of medical care
The analysis is based on information from the structural directory of medical care, which the Health Foundation has maintained, maintained and continuously developed for more than 25 years. Resident doctors, dentists and psychological psychotherapists as well as employed therapists in practices and medical care centers (MVZ) who actively practice in patient care were taken into account for the count. Practitioners who work in the inpatient sector, who are not active in patient care or who are retired, on parental leave or similar were not taken into account.
About the Health Foundation
The non-profit and independent Health Foundation is committed to more transparency in the healthcare system. During this time, the Foundation has created many services that offer independent information and practical guidance to a wide audience.
The basis for these numerous services is the above-mentioned structural index of medical care, which the Foundation takes great care to keep up to date. The majority of statutory and private health insurance companies obtain information from the directory. The Health Foundation thus supplies around 75 million insured persons in Germany.
In addition to its statutory tasks, the Health Foundation continuously carries out studies, such as the study series “Doctors in the future market of health” since 2005. The foundation records the mood, opinions and experiences of the medical profession and provides research results on current issues.