Written by Paige Deno
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT UNDERREPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE MEDICAL FIELD BECAUSE OF GENDER BIASES.
BACKGROUND:
Early in the 1800s, women's roles were primarily confined to midwives, and men's beliefs were that women were deemed ‘too sensitive’ and ‘unsuited’ for the male-dominated profession of physicians. It wasn’t until the first woman admitted to medical school, Elizabeth Blackwell, made a revolutionary change in the field. It was 1849, and she could only attend disguised in male clothing, yet she paved the way for women today in the field. Later, Dr. Joseph Longshore created the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania after Ms. Blackwell graduated in 1849. This would result in the development of seventeen more medical schools and nine new hospitals, all of which would be dedicated to the teaching and service of women. Even while women have made considerable progress in medicine, there is still a huge gender imbalance.
PRESENT:
Women make up 48% of all medical school graduates, but just 34.3 % of all physicians and surgeons, and a disturbingly low 15.9% of medical school deans. For women of color, the statistics are significantly worse. Furthermore, women in academic medicine face a salary difference: they are paid significantly less than their male counterparts for doing the same services. Because of the scarcity of women at the top levels of academic medicine, medical specialties are unable to achieve the degrees of brilliance that might otherwise be feasible. The goal of success demands a commitment to gender equality.
THERE IS STILL A BIAS AND MISCONCEPTION OF WOMEN IN STEM:
It can still be concluded today that there are many discriminations being placed on women in the medical field even after a significant amount of progress has been made. Patients are still requesting and preferring male doctors because of their sexist views towards women. “When you’re talking about the positions of authority in healthcare, people who can really make systemic changes to address healthcare needs … women are not in these positions to enact policy changes,” said Diana Lautenberger, director of Women in Medicine and Science for the AAMC. Women, more often times than not, are seen as ‘walking emotions’ as their personalities and how they handle situations are always associated with how they feel. For example, if a women nurse seems more assertive in her way of completing her job, she is deemed as ‘spiteful or ‘unkind’. While those who are more extravagant in the way they portray their kindness are labeled ‘unsuited for serious situations’. It just seems like there is no way for women to win when it comes to being themselves and performing their jobs how they see fit.
WHAT IS BEING DONE?:
If you typed “organizations that encourage women in stem” into your search engine, instantly 11 organizations pop up. When changing the word “women” to “men”, 60+ organizations appear. This highlights how women are not getting as much encouragement to engage in the medical field or research as there are not as many opportunities of support for them as there are men. Women in STEM organizations focus on various areas of a woman's growth in their future careers. Some want to encourage young girls to pursue science and the medical field, while others want to improve the working environment for women overall. Their main purpose is to develop strong networks that women can rely on and for their opportunities to become equal. Women’s organizations like this wouldn’t be necessary if this stigma didn’t exist in the first place.
SOLUTION:
It can be agreed upon that these Women Organizations are just a temporary fix and not a solution to the under-researched and stiff stigma created around women in the medical field. There needs to be a minimum amount of women that are hired in the medical workforce. Ending systematic oppression is difficult to obtain but can be aided by spreading awareness among hospital walls to encourage women and men to make a safer and more equal workplace where everyone is respected.
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