CDA Essentials 2017 • Volume 4 • Issue 7

I ssues and P eople • Family responsibilities: Whether dentists had spousal support for household chores and child care had a significant effect on work hours for women, but not for men. Female dentists with spousal support for household chores and child care worked significantly more hours a week than female dentists who were solely responsible for those tasks; this effect was not significant for men. Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, dental public health specialist at the University of Toronto faculty of dentistry and an author on both papers, says two things surprised him about the results. First, that the difference in work hours between men and women was so small, given the “general It’s clear that women still bear a greater burden in terms of what is happening at home, specifically child rearing and household chores. myth in dentistry that women work far fewer hours than men.” And secondly, that men and women differed in terms of what factors predicted their work hours. “What we’ve shown is that, in this sample of Ontario dentists, any differences are really explained by the gendered relationships between men and women,” says Dr. Quiñonez. “It’s clear that women still bear a greater burden in terms of what is happening at home, specifically child rearing and household chores. That said, some of my female colleagues were not surprised at all, which says a lot.” What will more female dentists mean for dentistry overall, given the differences revealed in these studies with respect to their male counterparts? “Only time will tell,” he says. a Full articles and references available at jcda.ca/g26 and jcda.ca/g27 CDA Oasis Discussions: Women in Dentistry Series The number of women practising dentistry in Canada continues to increase. This trend would not have occurred without the trailblazers who followed their passion into a traditionally male-dominated profession. We’ve opened a conversation with some of these dentists to share their stories with colleagues. In a series of interviews on CDA Oasis Discussions, labelled “Women in Dentistry,” we explore the successes and challenges they’ve faced, while glimpsing into the future through the lens of their collective experiences. a Dr. Effie Habsha Visit oasisdiscussions.ca to watch interviews with Drs. Cindy Lyon, Lynn Tomkins, Heather Carr, Janet Leith, Debra Finney, Linda Blakey, Carol Gomez Summerhays and Effie Habsha. Look for more interviews in this continuing series.