Women in Dentistry

Men and women alike are part of the dynamic, challenging profession of dentistry. So why focus only on women? Indeed, some people have asked us this very question.One person (a man) said women would feel singled out. We venture to say that women are already singled out in this field, and in most fields, for that matter. When you go to a dental conference, are most of the speakers male, or female? Are dental tools designed more with men in mind, or women? Look at the leadership of dental associations—is the leadership primarily male, or female?

It’s fine to have men as leaders, but in an industry where men and women have the same capabilities, why is it being led primarily by one sex?

Traditionally there hasn’t been as much support for girls and women going into the sciences as there has been for boys and men, and in this way, women start off with a bias against them. However, they persevere and every generation we’re seeing more women enter dentistry.

It all started with Lucy Hobbs. She was not accepted to medical school and instead became the first female dentist, all the way back in 1866. To learn more about Lucy Hobbs, see the article “The Lucy Hobbs Project” on p. 90.

As of 2010, 25.5 percent of practicing dentists were women. Now, just five years later, the numbers are closer to half of dental-school graduates being women. What a rapid change!

The career paths for women in dentistry are just as varied as they are for men, from private practice to academia. Women are finding that they’re able to balance a career in dentistry with family and other responsibilities. This special section includes information about work/life balance, creative scheduling, being a female dentist in a conservative Muslim nation, and includes other items, such as Q&As with four women in dentistry who have chosen different paths. We hope you enjoy this section, and that you celebrate the women you know in this great profession. – See more at: http://www.dentaltown.com/Dentaltown/Article.aspx?aid=5256#sthash.l0emTjo6.dpuf