Personal values of male and female doctors: gender aspects

The aim of this study was to elucidate the personal values of physicians. I t was part of the Physician 93 Study, the purpose of which was to shed ligh t on the life situation, career and future plans of young doctors and their views on medical education. The survey population included all the medical doctors registered during the years 1982-1991 in Finland (N = 4671). In th e spring of 1993 a postal questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2341 doctors. After two reminder letters, 1818 questionnaires (78%) were return ed. 59% of the respondents were women. Subjects were asked to rate on a 4-p oint scale each of a set of 17 potentially important values listed in the q uestionnaire, five of which were seen by the majority of physicians as very important. These values were. family life, health, close friends, success in work or in studies and childrens success. The potentially important valu es were conceptualized as indicative of eight important dimensions of the v alues of physicians: close friends, health, self actualization, success, un iversal values, well-being, family and ideology. Women doctors rated close friends, health, success, universalism and ideology as more important than men doctors. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.