Gender disparities in application and admission to the medical residency program in Peru: a cross sectional study from 2016 to 2023
2025

Gender Disparities in Medical Residency Programs in Peru

Sample size: 48013 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Medina-Neira Daniel, Caira-Chuquineyra Brenda, Fernandez-Guzman Daniel

Primary Institution: Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Perú

Hypothesis

Are there gender disparities in applications and admissions to medical residency programs in Peru from 2016 to 2023?

Conclusion

The study found persistent gender disparities in medical residency programs in Peru, with female applicants facing lower probabilities of admission.

Supporting Evidence

  • 48% of applicants were female, but they had an 18% lower probability of admission.
  • Most specialties showed an increasing trend in female applicants, except for a few.
  • Female admissions were highest in specialties like Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Takeaway

This study shows that girls applying to medical residency programs in Peru are less likely to get in compared to boys, even though more girls are applying now.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study using Bayesian multilevel linear models and multilevel Poisson regression to analyze application and admission data from 2016 to 2023.

Potential Biases

Potential biases in gender classification and the exclusion of non-binary individuals may affect the generalizability of the findings.

Limitations

Gender was inferred from names, which may not accurately represent all applicants, and the study did not include non-binary individuals.

Participant Demographics

Of the 48,013 applicants, 48% were female and 52% were male, with a majority from Lima.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.001

Confidence Interval

0.78–0.85

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0316859

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