Women raising kids have extra hurdles as med-school faculty.
The study was published in the October 1 Annals of Internal Medicine. Friedman and Carr hope their study will suggest to medical schools and hospitals the kinds of actions they can take to reduce these obstacles for women with children. Although their study didn't track how many women left academic medicine because of family responsibilities, Carr says they would expect the number to be significant. The study is part of a larger research project to evaluate the advancement of women, minorities, and primary care physicians in academic medicine, says Friedman. Last month, the researchers published a related study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that minority faculty achieved lower academic ranks than non-minority faculty with comparable academic achievements.