More women choose med school

by Rebecca Schwartz, The Varsity, University of Toronto emale enrolment at Queens’ Universi-

F ty’s medical school has increased dra-

matically this year.

In 1991, the first-year medical class at the Kingston, Ont. university was 35 per cent fe- male. This year, that figure is 55 per cent.

Duncan Sinclair, vice-principal of Health Services and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said he is pleased with the 20 per cent increase.

‘‘There is, in the entering class now, I would say, a balance between the sexes,’’ he said. ‘There have been, for some years, proportion- ately more applications from women and more offers to women applicants.

‘‘This year there were more qualified women applicants who accepted our offer of admission than in the past,’’ he said. ‘“We’re delighted.’’

Sinclair said an interview and a requirement that students have a prior university degree were new application requirements at Queen’s this year, however, he said he didn’t know

whether the changes in the application proce- dure account for the increase.

Out of 1241 applicants, 566 were female.

Meanwhile, the University of Toronto’s medical school continues to enrol proportion- ately more men than women.

In 1991, 37.5 per cent of the U of T first-year medical school class was female. the 1992 figures show a slight improvement: 40 per cent are female. Out of a pool of 2029 applicants, 879 were female.

“‘We’re doing well, but not well enough. It’s very important to have opportunities for women,’’ said Arnie Aberman, chair of medi- cine at U of T.

However, David Rayside, an assistant pro- fessor in U of T’s political science department who specializes in gender politics, said the male-dominated culture of professional facul- ties like medicine, law and engineering doesnot change overnight.

‘*All of the professions are male-oriented. The male experience is treated as the norm and

then the female experience is added or sut tracted from the male experience,”’ he said. ‘I a general and sometimes unspoken way, th male body is the norm against which women ar measured.”’

However, McMaster University in Hamil ton, Ont. has maintained a rate of 60-70 per cer female students in its medical school over th last five years. The school also attracts greats numbers of female applicants than Queens’ 0 U of T.

While female applicants to Queen’s and| of T made up 43 and 45 per cent respectively the applicant pool this year, McMaster’s appli cant pool was 54 per cent female.

Dr. Michael Marrin, chair of medical admis sions at McMaster, said the university makes effort to attract female students.

He said the McMaster program focuses 0 producing doctors with strong inter-perso: skills and does not ane science prerequi sites. @

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