Topics: employment, gender gap, gender pay gap, healthcare

THE number of women in health care may be increasing, but higher roles remain out of reach with only a third of doctors and dentists being female.

Data on Australia's dental workforce released last week revealed women make up 37% of dentists, compared to 95% of dental hygienists.

Similar numbers were reported back in 2006, when women made up 36% of all medical practitioners compared with 99% of midwives.

Institute of Health and Welfare spokesman Dr Adrian Webster said the gradual breakdown in gender stereotypes was repeated across a range of industries.

"It's something we're seeing across the board in different health professions, GP, specialists, and more broadly across other professions outside health care system where they were traditionally male dominated," he said.

Gladstone Women's Health Centre manager Sandy Prizeman said the gap between men and women in health care professions was reflective of a social attitude.

"I think we have a social stigma that women are not quite equal to men," she said.

"If you work in healthcare, typically you'd be a midwife, but the reality is you could be the doctor delivering the baby, or the midwife in charge."

However figures are improving slowly with a 2% rise in the number of female dentists from 2011 to 2012.

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Women still hitting the glass ceiling in health care jobs