What female dentists said: The balancing act of work and family in the dental profession

A national debate broke out when Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter wrote the article, "Why Women Still Can't Have it All," which appeared in The Atlantic Monthly. She writes about the roadblocks for female professionals who struggle to pursue professional success and maintain a real commitment to the family. Dr. Slaughter suggests that the key to this balancing act is to be the master of your own schedule.

Based on 50 interviews conducted by Cooke Capital, female dental professionals are well aware of this dilemma and there is good news for them. Dental professionals have a great deal of control over their schedules. This is directly linked to choices about practice models and wealth management strategies that help them accomplish their desire for family and work balance.

Click here to read a white paper by Cooke Capital, based on the 50 interviews that were conducted.

The current generation of women dentists will be a bridge generation that deals with the many challenges of being pioneers in the way women practice dentistry. Industry writer and speaker Lynn Carlisle, DDS, author of "In the Spirit of Caring," stated, "It is obvious that by approximately the year 2015 the ratio of male to female dentists will approach 60% male and 40% female dentists. The percentage of women in dentistry will rise significantly from less than 20% now to around 40% or more in 2015 as the male dominant 'Silent Generation' and older cohort of the 'Baby Boom' generations of dentists retire."

When it comes to organizing or reorganizing a practice, dental professionals have many options. From the many interviews conducted, Cooke Capital selected four cases that were widely representative of the different models by women to achieve balance between work and family. All practice and professional names are pseudonyms. When the different models were examined, it was revealed that they all had unique wealth management needs.