More women in pharmacy and medicine field: Study

Published: December 03, 2008 5:10 a.m.

Last modified: November 18, 2011 2:53 p.m.

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It’s no surprise that women dominate health-care occupations in Canada, but a new study attaches some numbers to the situation.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information says women make up about 80 per cent of the health-care workforce.

Women continue to dominate in nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and their ranks are increasing in male-dominated health-care professions.

Last year, the institute says 56 per cent of family doctors under age 40 were women, while in the 60-and-over group, only 15 per cent of family doctors were women.

And 64 per cent of pharmacists under 40 last year were women.

Francine Anne Roy, director of health resources information at the institute, says it’s important to understand the workforce to plan for the future of health care in Canada.
Another institute manager, Deborah Cohen, says female occupational therapists and physiotherapists work fewer hours in their 30s and 40s compared to men, so it’s important to recognize this for planning purposes.