Preferences for gender of family physician among Canadian European-descent and South-Asian immigrant women.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate expressed preferences for family physician (FP) gender among Canadian European-descent (CED) and Canadian South-Asian (CSA) immigrant women.


METHODS
An 'on-site' survey was conducted in community-based institutions in Toronto in order to determine preferences for the gender of FP under various health care scenarios: overall health care; gender-sensitive examinations; emotional problems; general ailments; and life-threatening conditions.


RESULTS
Ninety-four women responded to this survey (CED = 50, CSA = 44), response rate 77.3%. For all health care scenarios, CED and CSA women similarly expressed either a preference for a female FP or no preference. More than two-thirds of women preferred a female FP for gynaecological examinations (CED, 72.9%; CSA, 83.7%) or examinations with private body part exposure (CED, 72%; CSA, 81.8%). For 'emotional problems', half of the women preferred a female FP and the other half had no preference. A similar pattern was observed for 'overall health care', with some shift to female physician preference among CSA women (60.5%) compared with CED women (53.2%). For the 'overall health care' scenario, CED and CSA women who preferred a female FP had a higher frequency of seeing female physicians within the last 5 years (CED, P < or = 0.01; CSA, P < or = 0.05), and attributed 'positive' social skills more to female physicians (CED, P < or = 0.01; CSA, P < or = 0.01) compared with women with no preference for the gender of the FP. Yet, CED women with a female FP preference were more likely to have a concurrent female FP (P < or = 0.01), and to rate past experiences with female physicians as high (P < or = 0.01) and with male physicians as low (P < or = 0.05) compared with CED women with no preference. In the CSA group, women with a preference for a female FP were more likely to be unemployed (P < or = 0.01) and have low social support (P < or = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite similar physician gender preference patterns, factors associated with these preferences show some differences between CED and CSA women.
Ahmad
Farah
F
University Health Network Women's Health Program, 657 University Avenue, ML 2-010A, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2N2.
Gupta
Hansa
H
Rawlins
Jenna
J
Stewart
Donna E
DE
D000328:Adult; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000208:ethnology; D002170:Canada; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family; D010822:Physicians, Women; D011287:Prejudice; D012737:Sex Factors; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires