One of the success stories involving employment for women since the late 20th century has been the increasing proportion of women in the medical profession. Data from the US suggests that while there was a dramatic upward trend in the representation of women in EM programs (28% in 2001 to 38% in 2011), but sadly this trend has now plateaued in the last few years. Some of the reasons cited for women not choosing EM as a specialty include lifestyle in the ER (working shifts, weekends, etc.) and under-representation in EM leadership.

The reasons could be countless and influenced by the social and cultural norms of each place. The right people to guide you in your decision making are the female residents and attendings working in your local ER. So seek them out and definitely factor in their experience in your decision.

There are also many organizations and blogs which support the empowerment of women in Emergency Medicine. American Association of Women Emergency Physicians, Women in Emergency Medicine (WEM), FemInEM are few that you should definitely check out.