Development of Work and Family Commitments

Abstract

Women and men medical students' intended commitments to profession and family were explored at three times during their training. At the global level, women and men anticipated giving equal balance to family and profession in the future. At a more specific level, there were significant gender differences in planned commitments to profession and to family. Although all students anticipated giving more hours per week to professional roles, men anticipated significantly more hours devoted to profession each week than did women. Women anticipated more hours devoted to family than did men. Over time in medical school, all students' intended hours in profession increased and hours in family decreased, pointing to an inundation of family life by professional demands. Global-level measures suggested change in division of domestic labor among women and men, but specific-level measures suggested persistence of traditional patterns.