ArticleHuman resources for health2024
Feminization of the health workforce in China: exploring gendered composition from 2002 to 2020.
Article in Human resources for health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Global perspectives from women leaders in radiology: a view from five continents.The British journal of radiology · 2026Article
- Provoking or backfiring? A contingent model of how abusive supervision influences learning from failure through fear.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Intra-shift affective dynamics in emergency unit workers: temporal deterioration and recovery windows.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Intention to Delay Retirement and Its Influencing Factors Among Near-Retirement Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of nursing management · 2026Article
- Cultural and spiritual acumen in Chinese urology nursing: a quantitative and qualitative pilot investigation.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- The association of physician-clinical pharmacist collaboration frequency and experience on physician burnout: are there gender differences.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Unmet psychological needs underlying mobile phone dependence among medical undergraduates: a qualitative study based on the basic psychological needs theory.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Within- and Between-Person Correlates of Affect and Sleep Health Among Health Science Students.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Article
- Gender income differences among general practitioners with compulsory services in early career stage in underdeveloped areas: evidence from a prospective cohort study in China.Human resources for health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFeminization of health workforce has been globally documented, but it has not been investigated in China. This study aims to analyze changes in the gendered composition of health workforce and explore the trend in different types of health workforce, health organizations and majors within China's health system.
methodsThe data were collected from China Health Statistical Yearbook from 2002 to 2020. We focused on health professionals including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in health organizations. Trend analysis was employed to examine the change in the ratio of female health workforce over 18 years. The estimated average annual percent change (AAPC) was estimated, and the reciprocals of variances for the female ratios were used as weights.
resultsIn China, health professionals increased from 4.7 million in 2002 to 10.68 million in 2020. Health professionals per 1000 population increased from 3.41 in 2002 to 7.57 in 2020. The ratio of female health professionals significantly increased from 63.85% in 2002 to 72.4% in 2020 (AAPC = 1.04%, 95% CI 0.96-1.11%, P < 0.001). Female doctors and pharmacists increased 4.7 and 7.9 percentage points from 2002 to 2020. Female health workers at township health centers, village clinics, centers for disease control and prevention had higher annual increase rate (AAPC = 1.67%, 2.25% and 1.33%, respectively) than those at hospital (0.70%) and community health center (0.5%). Female doctors in traditional Chinese medicine, dentistry and public health had higher annual increase rate (AAPC = 1.82%, 1.53% and 1.91%, respectively) than female clinical doctor (0.64%).
conclusionsMore women are participating in the healthcare sector in China. However, socially lower-ranked positions have been feminizing faster, which could be due to the inherent and structural gender norms restricting women's career. More collective and comprehensive system-level actions will be needed to foster a gender-equitable environment for health workforce at all levels.
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