Professional practice among woman dentist

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This review aims to give an inside view of professional career of a women dentist, addresses the unique demands of being a woman dentist, and highlight ways to address these issues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Medline database, scholarly literature, and informal literature were considered for this review. RESULTS: Working hours of female dentists do not differ significantly from the working hours of their male counterparts, until they have children. The female dentists' working hours showed a distinct drop as soon as they started a family. It was also found that women dentists are more likely to take career break. It is clear that childrearing and family responsibilities have a great impact on women's working life. Significant differences between males and females in work title and specialization were evident in an academic institution. Due to the societal orientation which regards women as primarily home makers, the responsibilities for family caretaking continues to fall disproportionately on women, and this fact could explain why women abandon their careers in the advanced stages. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts should be made to identify and reduce barriers to women's advancement in dentistry.