Gender Disparities in Medical and Dental Admissions: Students' Perspectives on Barriers
Objectives: To explore the gender distribution trends in the MDCAT test, MBBS, and BDS admissions at Bolan Medical College (BMC), Quetta, from 2019 to 2024, and to gather students' perceptions regarding the barriers faced by female students in medical education. Methodology: This qualitative...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Lahore
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry |
| Online Access: | https://journals.uol.edu.pk/jucmd/article/view/3731 |
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| Summary: | Objectives: To explore the gender distribution trends in the MDCAT test, MBBS, and BDS admissions at Bolan Medical College (BMC), Quetta, from 2019 to 2024, and to gather students' perceptions regarding the barriers faced by female students in medical education.
Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted in 2024 at BMC, Quetta, to examine gender inequity in MBBS and BDS admissions from 2019 to 2024. Thirty-two first-year female students from the 2024 batch were purposively selected for focus group discussions (FGDs) to explore their personal experiences regarding gender-specific challenges. The themes that emerged were safety concerns, transportation issues, cultural norms and social pressures, lack of female role models, and family support. In addition, the study examined the availability and accessibility of MDCAT preparation resources, specifically for students from rural backgrounds, who reported more challenges in accessing coaching and educational materials.
Results: The five-year data analysis revealed persistent gender inequity, with female admissions consistently lower than male admissions. In MBBS, female admissions ranged from 39.2% (n=89/227) in 2019-2020 to 30.62% (n=105/343) in 2023-2024, while female enrollment in BDS remained relatively equal, at 61.36% (n=27/44) in 2019-2020 and 52.27% (n=23/47) in 2023-2024. Among the surveyed students, 37.5% (n=15) reported encountering barriers in pursuing health sciences. The primary obstacles identified were safety concerns and transportation issues at academic institutions (47.5%, n=19), followed by cultural norms and social pressures (20%, n=8), and a lack of female role models in college (12.5%, n=5). While most participants identified inadequate family support and limited access to MDCAT preparation as the primary obstacles, they found educational resources and coaching centers to be generally sufficient. However, a subset of students from rural areas reported restricted access.
Conclusion: There was a persistent gender inequity in MBBS and BDS admissions in BMC with female students facing considerable challenges both pre and post-admission.
Keywords: Aptitude Test, Gender Inequality, Family Support, Social Support.
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| ISSN: | 2790-3443 2790-3451 |