For the first time in UK history, there were more female doctors than male doctors, according to a recent announcement by the General Medical Council (GMC)
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in Personnel Today
Data collected by the GMC showed that, as of March 2025, 164,440 women (50.04%) held a licence to practise, compared with 164,195 men (49.96%). This milestone follows a gradual increase in the proportion of female doctors, a trend that has been evident since 2015.
Historical Movement
The ability for women to practise medicine in the UK was granted by the Medical Act of 1876, though they had to wait until 1892 to join the British Medical Association (BMA). Since then, the number of women in the medical profession has steadily grown. One of the key drivers behind this increase has been the growing number of women enrolling in UK medical schools.
From the academic year 2018-19 onward, women have outnumbered men in medical schools across all four UK countries. In 2023-24, 60% of UK medical students were female, with Northern Ireland seeing the highest proportion at 72%.
Variations in Gender Distribution
However, the gender distribution of doctors varies across the UK. In Scotland (54.8%) and Northern Ireland (53.5%), there were more women than men working as doctors, while in England (49.7%) and Wales (47.3%), men still outnumbered women.
While women are increasingly represented in the medical workforce, there are still notable differences in the specialisations they pursue. Women make up the majority in fields like obstetrics and gynaecology (63%), paediatrics (60.8%) and general practice (57.7%).
However, fewer women are found in specialties like surgery (16.9%), ophthalmology (35.1%) and emergency medicine (37.1%). Despite this, the number of women entering these traditionally male-dominated fields is growing. Between 2023-24, emergency medicine saw a 7.8% increase in female practitioners, surgery rose by 5.1% and ophthalmology grew by 3.7%. The specialty with the highest growth was occupational medicine, which saw an 8.3% increase, with women comprising 37.7% of the field.
The GMC’s workforce report from November 2024 also revealed another significant shift: for the first time, there were more doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds than British-born white doctors in the UK. As the medical workforce continues to diversify, representation in medicine is evolving, reflecting wider societal shifts and efforts towards greater inclusivity.
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