By: Khushman Sekhon
Over many years, women have been seen fighting for their rights in various areas of society, struggling to be seen as equals beside their male peers. Many are grateful for the sacrifices made by women of the past who have broken down the walls and barriers that had previously hindered young girls from reaching their goals. Although women are still a visible minority in today’s society, they have come together as a community to make huge strides in the medical field. However, many inequalities are still present within the workplace.
For so many years, women have been underrepresented in positions of power, yet barriers are still present for female physicians in the twenty-first century. Women still have to overcome pay gaps, and stereotypes pose major challenges in various STEM fields.
A study from 2016 looked into the data collected through the Freedom of Information Act. Several state institutions took many factors such as age, specialty, and experience into consideration. The total difference between the salary of men and women was $50,000.
“The total difference between the salary of men and women was $50,000…”
Another study explained that females are paid nearly 30% less than their male colleagues. The pay gap is inexplicably large even though there has been emerging evidence that female doctors listen to patients longer, interrupt less, and provide more cost-effective and patient-centered care. This is associated with lower rates of hospitalization and mortality.
Even if the number of women practicing medicine is increasing, there is an ongoing struggle to be taken seriously because of their gender. Women in medicine are constantly subject to negative stereotyping if they reject and refuse to adhere to the expectations of the people around them.
Women’s capabilities and knowledge are often overlooked in male-dominant specialties and tend to miss out on many opportunities. The reason for this is that many people falsely conclude that a female physician is unable to complete tasks with the same candor and passion as her peers. This gender imbalance is a result of the unconscious judgement of women based on unhealthy standards. Today, more than 63% of medical school applicants are women, which is a drastic rise from the numbers recorded around 1995. Nevertheless, an equal rise of females as leaders is still awaited. For instance, in the Canadian Medical Association, there are twenty men on the board with only six females.
“Today, more than 63% of medical school applicants are women…”
Even so, a gender shift is becoming more prominent within family medicine. In 2008, 28% of physicians were women, but the number has now risen to 41%. Women such as Dr. Gertrude Elion and Dr. Sisna Love have been trailblazers in the medical field, paving the way for younger female doctors and displaying to the world that women are capable of so much more than what society believes. The absence of gender equity is a real and prevalent issue everywhere, and it is time for it to be recognized and apprehended.
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