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Gender Segregation In Dentistry
Alexander V. Padalino – Biology | Dr. Peter K. Hart-Brinson – Sociology
PATTERNS OF DECLINING AND PERSISTENT INEQUALITY
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
WOMEN IN DENTISTRY
U.S. Dental Hygiene
Programs, 2000 to 2010
METHODS
• For Women:
• Some progress has been made: there are more female dentists and it is more
common and acceptable for women to enter dental school and specialties.
• However, women are still seen as primary care-givers, and there is a
perception that this may hamper their ability to pursue long-term careers.
• For Men:
• Some men are becoming assistants and hygienists, but not many.
• Those in these positions did not feel any loss of status; however, they also
viewed the position as stepping stones to one day becoming dentists.
• In general, dentistry has made some advances towards equality, but vestiges of its
patriarchal past definitely persist.
• A large amount of advocacy for women needs to continue in order for their
position in the field to continue to improve.
• For men, any increase in male role models in positions other than the dentists
could change the way that assisting and hygiene are seen and could increase
men’s interest in these fields.
• This project made clear that the gender inequality in occupational prestige
and pay still persists, along with gender stereotypes.
MEN IN HYGIENE/ASSISTING
U.S. Dental School Admissions 2000 to 2010
This project is an exploration of gender inequalities in the dental profession and how occupational
segregation, socialization, and culture affect the occupational environment. Historically, dentistry
has been a patriarchal profession, in that dentists were primarily men and subordinate hygienists
and assistants were almost exclusively women. After exploring the literature, analyzing quantitative
data on admissions to dental schools, and conducting interviews with practicing dentists,
hygienists, and assistants, a mixed pattern emerged. Women’s status in dentistry has improved in
recent decades, both in dental practice and in admissions to dental school. However, stereotypes
persist: Women are still seen as primary caregivers and thus less suited to be dentists because of
the time needed away from work; some think other career paths, such as hygiene, assisting, and
dental therapy, are more favorable for women. Dental hygiene and assisting remain almost
exclusively female occupations. Qualitative interviews suggest that men do not see these fields as
long-term career options but rather as stepping stones to higher positions. It is possible that men
simply being in the field could serve as role models for future generations, but further advocacy
and persistence is needed to prevent the gender revolution in dentistry from stalling.
• Gender segregation in occupations refers to the fact that some jobs (engineers, dentist) are
male-dominated, while other jobs are female-dominated (nurses, hygienists)
• In the U.S., the result has been higher prestige and higher earning jobs for men and
lowers status and earning jobs for women.
• Project goal: explore the gender gap in dentistry and see how and why it may be changing, as
well as what impact these changes are having on the profession.
“I know what happens when a woman turns 28. Her hormones hit maternal instincts, and all of a sudden they realize, “Shoot, I have all this debt, can I
afford to work 4-5 days and still have a family?”. It’s a tough decisions. And historically they have always worked shorter careers.” (male, dentist)
“They have to decide if they can balance a family, and family is a big one for a lot of women. It’s big for men too, but in our society women usually end up
being the primary caregivers and all that.” (male, dentist)
• Dentistry has been historically male-
dominated, like other STEM fields; but
numbers of female dentists are increasing,
both professionally and in dental school.
• Most people in the profession deny that
gender is a problem:
“It used to be a male dominated profession and I think that is definitely
starting to change, or at least it’s about 50/50 now.” (male, dentist)
“Women are pretty accepted. In dentistry, I think it’s changed in the
past 10 years that women are very accepted in the field.” (male, dentist)
• However, many believe women are also
primary caregivers, which limits their careers:
REFERENCES
• Woolfolk, DDS., M.P.H., Marilyn W. and Shelia S. Price, DDS., Ed. D. 2012. “Dental Education:
Evolving Student Trends.” Journal of Dental Education 76 (1): 51 - 64
Percentage by Race/Ethnicity
Year
Numbe
r
Percentage
Women
Blac
k
Hispani
c
American
Indian
Asia
n White
Unk
n
2000–
01
12,62
9
97% 4.19
%
5.72% 0.55% 4.64
%
88.28
%
2.6
2001–
02
12,82
6
97% 3.73
%
6.03% 0.76% 4.65
%
83.26
%
1.5
2002–
03
13,03
1
97% 4.01
%
6.38% 0.69% 4.90
%
82.33
%
1.5
2003–
04
13,28
4
98% 4.09
%
6.61% 0.71% 5.00
%
81.62
%
1.9
2004–
05
13,89
5
96% 4.21
%
6.82% 0.76% 4.97
%
79.90
%
2.2
2005–
06
14,01
2
97% 3.95
%
6.72% 0.71% 5.84
%
80.20
%
2.0
2006–
07
14,79
5
97% 4.18
%
7.50% 0.75% 6.42
%
79.27
%
1.8
2007–
08
15,01
0
97% 4.34
%
7.30% 0.85% 6.80
%
78.99
%
1.7
2008–
09
15,19
4
97% 4.41
%
7.34% 0.61% 7.04
%
78.65
%
1.9
2009–
10
15,38
5
97% 4.35
%
7.70% 0.79% 7.34
%
77.87
%
1.9
Year
Numbe
r
Percentage
Women Black
Hi
2000–
01
6,448 96% 12.53
%
2001–
02
6,707 96% 13.69
%
2002–
03
7,666 94% 14.54
%
2003–
04
7,559 95% 13.63
%
2004–
05
8,030 91% 11.17
%
2005–
06
8,460 89% 12.84
%
2006–
07
8,578 95% 14.70
%
2007–
08
8,923 95% 13.76
%
1
2008–
09
9,208 95% 15.13
%
1
2009–
10
10,76
1
95% 17.14
%
1
U.S. Dental Assisting Programs,
2000 to 2010
Year Number Percentage Women
2000–01 17,354 39%
2001–02 17,498 42%
2002–03 17,688 43%
2003–04 17,978 44%
2004–05 18,313 42%
2005–06 18,617 44%
2006–07 19,050 43%
2007–08 19,292 43%
2008–09 19,701 44%
2009–10 20,055 47%
2010–11 20,346 46%
• Recorded interviews with 11 dental professionals: 6 dentists, 3 assistants, and 2 hygienists
• Interviews in Green Bay and Eau Claire, WI
• June –Nov. 2015
• Questions regarding education, school experiences, sex ratios of classes and faculty,
gender stereotypes, bias in education, and overall role of gender in dentistry
• Interviews were then coded using QDA Minor Lite, with 39 codes being used.
• Quantitative data was compiled from previous data from the ADEA, ADA, and the article “Dental
Education: Evolving Student Trends”
• Men have historically been absent from
hygiene and assisting, and this appears to
be a fact that is not changing anytime
soon.
• When asked about hygiene classes, the
responses mirrored the statistics:
“All women. I have yet to meet a male hygienist. I know one
graduated or worked somewhere. I don’t know if it was from NWTC,
but one did work in Wisconsin.” (female, hygienist)
“For hygiene specifically we only had one male.” (female,
hygienist)
• However, the experiences of the male
assistants that we were able to find
suggest that it is not a negative or
degrading experience for men:
• Although men did not experience negative social sanctions for being assistants or
hygienists, they also did not see it as a long-term career: both male assistants we spoke to
saw it as a stepping stone to dentistry or a higher prestige position.
• So, while men may not be barred from these previously female-dominated positions, they
also are not actively pursuing them as serious careers.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
“I mean I got treated great. Maybe it was because I was a guy that I got treated really nice. Like reverse discrimination.” (male, assistant)
“I feel like they [patients] love it [having a male assistant]. It doesn’t seem weird to them either. I don’t know if its just because of their [the male
assistants] personalities…I don’t think people focus on the gender.” (female, assistant)