[ Medical School Resources | Appendices | ]
In a survey of 200 medical students, researchers found a moderate degree of rape myth acceptance.[259] In a survey of rape attitudes amongst British medical students, 7% strongly disagreed that "A woman can be raped against her will." Twelve percent agreed that, "A woman should be responsible for preventing her own rape."[260]
"Medical Students' Attitudes Towards Women," an article published in 1983 surveying British medical students found that a third of male medical students agreed with the statement, "The reason that women tend to be less capable of logical thought than men is because, apparently for hormonal reasons, their judgments are interlinked with their emotions."
A third also thought that, "Women's particular ability to empathize with others equips them for the caring role of nursing, rather than the hard decision making of medicine" and even that, "Increasing the proportion of women entering medicine is short-sighted, and should be limited to perhaps 30%, since most of these will be lost to the profession for most of their useful working lives."[261]
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the proportion of women faculty with the rank of full professor remained almost constant at 10 percent since 1981.[262] About 45% of students in the 1983 survey agreed that women failed to reach the top because, "they were less career oriented and did not choose surgery because they lacked strength and technical ability."
[259] Best, CL, BS Dansky, and DG Kilpatrick. "Medical Students' Attitudes About Female Rape Victims." Journal of Interpersonal Violence 7(1992):175-188.
[260] Williams, L, G Foster and J Petrak. "Rape Attitudes Amongst British Medical Students." Medical Education 33(1999):24-27.
[261] Savage, WD and P Tate. "Medical Students' Attitudes Towards Women." Medical Education 17(1983):159-164.
[262] New Physician 48(1999):5.