Feminisation of the care workforce

More women are entering the care workforce. This has an impact on participation rates, as trends indicate women, especially those with or planning to have children, are more likely to want career and work flexibility. More trainees are therefore required to maintain workforce supply. Feminisation is not consistent across all professions, however, and is more prevalent in professions with greater patient interaction. There are also wider cultural changes occurring within the care sector as a result.

The growing numbers of women has been a major feature of workforce change the past half century. This has had a profound impact on the shape of workforce and had wider social impacts. Feminisation of the workforce affects the ratio of FTE to headcount, meaning greater trainee numbers than previously expected are required to maintain supply of the workforce. But feminisation of the workforce has not been even. Some areas of the sector, such as academic medicine, still have an under-representation of women.

A small study has shown the traditional image of the British family doctor to be changing – patients perceive women doctors as more personable, more skilled and better at communication. Numbers of women in the care workforce reflects their popularity. The number of female doctors registered with the General Medical Council, for example, has exceeded the 100,000 mark for the first time in 2011, and now account for 43 per cent of the total. The GMC estimates that in the next five to ten years, female doctors will overtake registered male doctors. This will create accelerated demand for more flexible working patterns, changes to training and career pathways.

Challenges in responding to feminisation include ensuring equal opportunities while managing the differences in career choices and aspirations between women and men. Offering flexibility while ensuring adequacy of training and security of supply is a major area for innovative thinking.

Proposed workforce impact

• Participation rates are lower, as women take more career breaks and prefer to work part time.
• The rapidly increasing proportion of women in general practice leads to an increasing shortfall of medical availability in the future.

Sources or references

• Interviews with healthcare professionals as part of the CfWI’s Medical and Dental Student Intakes project, 2012
• CfWI, 2011, Nursing and Midwifery: workforce risks and opportunities
• CfWI, 2012, Shape of the medical workforce: Starting the debate on the future consultant workforce
• Royal College of Physicians, 2012, Centre for Workforce Intelligence - Shape of the medical workforce: Royal College of Physicians response
• King’s Fund, 2009, NHS Workforce Planning: limitations and possibilities
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1491400/ Young female-Asian-Britains-favourite-doctor.html http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=604
• http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/6/56
• http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/1897/239/

Additional research questions

• Could changing policies on paternity leave counterbalance this factor?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.