A Qualitative Study Exploring Female Students’ Perspectives on Medical Research Opportunities in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract While researchers have made great strides over the years in expanding opportunities for women in medical research, some gender imbalance persists, particularly in the context of the Arab world. The purpose of our study was to discover obstacles that female medical students have faced in conducting research. We conducted our study at a small private university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and we used a qualitative, feminist methodology. To address our research questions, we conducted 4 group interviews of 21 female undergraduate medical students who had experience participating in research projects. The study’s aim was to elicit participants' perspectives on the barriers they perceived to women’s contribution to medical research through all phases of the research process, from expressing interest in a particular field to finding faculty support, to performing research activities, to assessing research outcomes. Analytic coding of group interview transcripts revealed three major themes expressed by participants: differing expectations perceived for female students versus male students in conducting research; challenges for female students in securing research opportunities; and practical challenges for female students in conducting research. Findings from this study suggest that there is still work to be done to support female students, empower them to overcome obstacles, and ensure equal participation of female and male students in medical research.