Women have historically been under-represented in the medical profession in part because the norms of feminine behavior have deviated from behavior expected of physicians. To determine the career and family expectations of current medical students, 320 medical students were surveyed. Results confirmed the hypothesis that even sex-role-modern women perceive family rewards to outweigh the benefits of maximizing career rewards. Abortion attitudes tended to correlate with attitudes about women's rights and sex roles; female medical students held more proabortion attitudes than males. Contrary to prediction, women medical students experienced more role strain than men. Most women students expected equal sharing of child care and household responsibilities while men expected to contribute less. The findings suggest that recognition of the importance of family relationships may help reduce the emotional and psychological stress of being a physician. (Author/JAC)