Sex and the boards

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.