title: Why do work patterns differ between men and women GPs?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in contractual commitments, job satisfaction and spouses' occupation among GP principals in NHS Scotland.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper is based on data provided by a self-completion, postal questionnaire survey. The response rate was 50 per cent.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Males worked more hours than females and were more likely to work out-of-hours. Females reported greater job satisfaction but only when they worked fewer hours. Females earned less than males but there were no gender differences in total household income. Both genders planned to retire at 59 years. More males would delay retirement if they could work part-time. More females than males were in dual-doctor households. Male respondents in dual-doctor households were more likely to have modified their working hours or career aspirations than males in other households.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of hours worked by GPs is in part determined by the occupation/earning power of their spouse. The number of women GPs is increasing and they are likely to continue to choose to work fewer hours than their male counterparts have done in the past.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has attempted to incorporate spouse's occupation/income as a factor in the career choices of GPs in Scotland.
authors.affiliation: NHS Education for Scotland, Aberdeen, UK. Fiona.French@nes.scot.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: Morag
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Awramenko
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Coutts
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leighton-Beck
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mollison
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Needham
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002322:Career Mobility; D003657:Decision Making; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000145:classification*; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000145:classification*; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012179:Retirement; D012606:Scotland; D012737:Sex Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*