“‘You can’t be a serious pediatric cardiologist if you have kids’… ‘We shouldn’t hire her, she’s going to go part-time as soon as she gets married’… ‘She’s just too emotional’” – Bauer and Patel, 2018
At a time when women’s issues appear to be making their way into the forefront of society, there are still problems hidden in the dark, such as inequity in the field of medicine.
Dr. Sarah Bauer and Dr. Angira Patel discuss how statistics paint a very different picture of what is actually occurring in the field. Although it appears that women are taking the lead in medical schools, there are still the underlying issues of trust and respect at play, issues that often lead to depression.
There seems to be a stereotype placed on women in medicine.. one that hinders their abilities to achieve leadership in the field. There is still this generalized cloud floating above their heads, one that rains down on them the negativity pushing them to remain static beings, never moving forward. One that says women cannot possibly be doctors, because if they were doctors, they would need time off for family.
According to Bauer and Patel, the voices of the women in medicine need to be heard from their perspectives in order to better understand those underlying issues. Statistics are not the whole story. Statistics do not mean the fight is over.
After reading this article, I began thinking about all of the doctors I’ve encountered in my lifetime. In my hometown, we have two doctors offices- one with only male doctors and the other with only one female doctor (who happens to be the female doctor). However, even when I started thinking about major doctors appointments I’ve had, those doctors were always male. It was never something I though about before reading this article, yet it is interesting that my own experience with doctors have been male-dominated.
What are everyone else’s thoughts on this?
“Real progress begins when we recognize that women have multiple dimensions and experiences that shape who they are, and their roles as wives, mothers, and caregivers cannot be sidelined. For them to become leaders in medicine – and in every other profession – requiresunderstanding the nuances of what is actually happening in their lives – as told by womeninmedicine.” – Bauer and Patel, 2018
Kara C