BACKGROUND Women now outnumber men in British medical schools. This paper charts the history of women in medicine and provides current demographic trends. METHODS A historical literature review and routinely collected data from Department of Health and the Health and Social Care Information Centre. RESULTS Clear gender differences are apparent in working practices, including greater likelihood of working part time and specializing in certain areas of medicine. RESULTS The increasing need to increase activity among the existing medical workforce is timely amidst a changing workforce demographic. CONCLUSIONS Workforce planners, policymakers and Royal Colleges should continue to develop interventions that may reduce disparities in career choices, as well as considering ways to increase participation and activity. CONCLUSIONS Further research is needed to explore the cost-effectiveness of existing and future interventions in this field.