[Gender differences in career paths in medical academia: a nationwide study in the Netherlands].

Objective: To determine gender differences in career progression of physicians.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Method: We examined career progression until 2023 of 715 physicians who received their PhD in the Netherlands in 2007/2008. We also pooled data from 7 national grant programs from 2005 up until Jan 1, 2023.

Results: Fifteen years after their PhD defence, 43% of physicians worked in academia, similar for men and women. Men published more than women (9[3-27] vs. 6[2-15] publications; p=0.001), especially in academia. Women were less likely than men to be appointed full professor (10/330 vs. 27/385; odds ratio[95% CI]: 0.41[0.20-0.87]), which was mediated for 55% by their number of scientific publications. Women increasingly applied for research grants over time, with an equal number of women and men receiving 'early career' grants since 2015. More men applied for 'established investigator' grants, without any gender differences in award rates.

Conclusion: Career perspectives in the early phase after obtaining a PhD, including grant allocation, are similar for male and female physicians. Differences in their later career phase were partly related to a higher number of scientific publications by men, compared to women.