Half of female doctors delay having children

Discrimination, “pigeon-holing”, delaying having children for the sake of a career, and poor career progress are among the challenges facing women across the medical and legal professions, new research shows.

A survey by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) found that almost half (46%) of female doctors delay having children because of the impact it could have on their career, compared to less than one in five males.

When it comes to choosing a speciality, one female doctor told the IMO she was “asked directly when I plan on having children... I was asked by the head why should he give me a job ahead of a man who wouldn’t be taking maternity leave at any stage on the training scheme”.