SUMMARYThis paper aims to show what choices (both personal and professional) the many women who achieve National Health Service (NHS) consultant status make, and how some of the factors that affect this also influence merit awards. Over 2200 women and 200 men holding consultant contracts within the NHS were asked (through an anonymous postal questionnaire) about the personal choices they had made and other factors that had influenced their career. Findings from the 1654 respondents show that women reach consultant grade at about the same time as their male contemporaries, but are more likely to be in anaesthetics, radiology, pathology or psychiatry. Many women choose these specialities because they fit best with family commitments. The remaining women are more likely to work in the female‐orientated specialities of paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology than other medical or surgical specialities. They are less likely to receive a merit awar