Newsletter
BERLIN, Germany: The number of female dentists in Germany has risen in recent years. Currently, the proportion of women is 42.3 per cent, 6 per cent more than in 2000. According to the German Dental Association, this trend will even intensify in the coming years, owing to the high number of female dental students.
The trend is reflected mainly in Western Germany, where the proportion of female dentists rose to 39.2 per cent (up 7.5 per cent compared with 2000). In Eastern Germany, where women have been practising as dentists for a long time, the rate remained virtually unchanged at 58.5 per cent. This figure is not expected to change significantly, as the upcoming retirees are mostly female. In Western Germany, however, the trend of more women in dentistry will continue. Already in 2012, 60 per cent of practising dentists under age 35 were female, while the proportion of women was only 28 per cent in the 55–64 age group.
According to the Association, more female dentists than male dentists are employees: two out of three dentists employed in dental clinics are female (63.1 per cent). “This is a political figure,” said Dr Peter Engel, President of the German Dental Association. “The increase in the number of working women requires a better balance between work and family life, with family-friendly working conditions for both sexes. This means that the dental profession must undergo a necessary process of change, not least in the interest of optimal patient care.”
