Results of long-term studies show that businesses’ scores for promoting women correlate positively with profitability. This might well be the case also in the field of psychiatric practice and research.

A review of gendered data on psychiatrists and their professional situations in different countries was undertaken.

The data base that would allow to assess the role of women in psychiatry and their impact on the developments of this field is fragmentary. Europe has gender-sensitive data for careers in medical sciences with almost one third of researchers being female, but these data cannot be broken down to the level of specific specialities. In most European countries women receive less research grants altogether, but are as successful with their applications as men. Data from the USA show that women faculty fare better in psychiatry compared to medicine overall. Data on gender and psychiatric consultants’ subspecialities from the UK indicate an excess of men in almost all fields. However, for most European countries data on gender ratios regarding clinical psychiatrists, researchers and leadership positions are not published.

An effort of the AEP Section of Women's Mental Health to gather data from European countries on gender ratios of psychiatrists in different parts of the field and leadership positions on national levels is underway in order to allow comparisons and serve as benchmarks for further efforts towards gender parity in psychiatry. The presentation will include design and feasibility issues of this project as well as first feedbacks.