Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:1226-1228
Copyright © 1980 by American Psychiatric Association
Sex and the boards
MH Jacobs and LK Flowers
In 1978 a questionnaire on the functioning of the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology was mailed to a sample of APA members. The authors
present the significant differences in responses between men and women
psychiatrists. A higher percentage of women than men were among thoes who
had experienced stress from the time and effort involved in taking the
Board examinations and from fear of the oral examination; 45% of the women
respondents who had received certification had done so since 1975 versus
23% for the men. The authors discuss possible explanations for the sex
differences, including role strain, and suggest greater flexibility in
where , when, and how Board examinations can be taken.
