The aim of this study was to gain statistically founded information about female health care workers' career and family role burden and role-conflicts in relation to their general health status. SUBJECTS AND METHODS - The survey was conducted among women doctors and college-degree nurses working in in-patient institutes and was based on self-provided information obtained from mailed questionnaires. The response rate was 45.54% (n=409). RESULTS - The exclusively career-oriented or family-oriented ways of life were both dismissed by a larger proportion of respondents, as these were considered equally important. Work-to-family conflicts were reported by 44.8%, mainly mentioning night shifts, lack of time and too much workload as a cause. One in five (19.5%) respondent reported family-to-work conflicts. The role conflicts correlate with life and career satisfaction, plans to leave profession, health status and the prevalence of psychosomatic symptoms. CONCLUSION - The results suggest the presence of many conflict points between the family and career roles of health care professionals working in the Hungarian healthcare system. The role-conflict had an explicitly negative effect on the respondents' general satisfaction and health status. The importance of this subject warrants further analytic and comparative investigations.

Aim. This study analyses the self-rated general and psychosocial health of female physicians and nurses in Hungary related to healthy lifestyle habits and individual behavioural patterns. Material and method. cross-sectional data were taken by a questionnaire survey among Hungarian female health care staff members (N=409) selected representatively in 2005 (responding rate 45.5%). Results. Six out of ten staff members mentioned at least one health problem. Strongly related to self-rated health (SRH) were role conflicts (p<0.001), pessimistic future expectations (p<0.001), perceived difficulties in maintaining the actual partnership (p=0.001), and satisfaction with one's life and career (p<0.001). About 40% said that they did some sports once a week or even more frequently. Smokers represented 24.4%. Conclusion. The results obtained suggest that health is not a highly appreciated value among female staff members in Hungarian health care. Moreover, their health-related behaviour is at a substandard level. Improving this situation should be a priority aim of any intervention. ©Borgis.

INTRODUCTION - The aim of this study was to analyze female medical students' carrier and family attitudes and plans in view of two social problems: (1) the increasing shortage of physicians in Hungary and (2) conflicts and health problems in the life of female doctors caused by professional and family duties. METHOD - The basis of this study is a self-reported questionnaire-based survey performed in the spring of 2004 among 5th-year female medical students in the faculties of general medicine at Semmelweis and Debrecen universities. One hundred and seventeen students (46.2%) responded. RESULTS - The overwhelming majority of students (91.5%) want to work as a physicians, and 63.5% plan to work abroad in health care. As to family planning, 95.7% of the respondents would like to have children, although only 52.8% plan to stay at home in the first three years. CONCLUSION - These data suggest that the majority of Hungarian female medical students want to be engaged in the medical profession and plan to meet both family and career demands. Due to its special requirements, however, this profession may generate future marital, childmother relationship and workplace conflicts.