Gender bias in medicine

When I began medical school in 1978, medicine was a man’s world. In 2004, has this changed? Although the number of new female students from medical schools across the nation has increased dramatically during the last 25 years, the number of women who are tenured, are full professors, or are selected for administrative roles is disproportionately small. I suspect that the proportion of women who are full partners in private practices is also less than the proportion of men achieving similar ranks.

Numerous publications from major medical schools describe similar statistics––more female graduates, yet underrepresentation at senior levels. Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges show that women comprise only 14% of tenured faculty and 12% of full professors in medical schools. A key factor that has been described as important for the advancement of women’s careers is a flexible work environment.¹ A survey from Duke found that women physicians placed high value on the quality of their work and personal lives.²

How do we change these statistics? Women have been trained since childhood to operate in a collaborative, rather than a directive manner. The language used by women tends to be less direct and more timid than the language of men. As children, boys are taught to be competitive, to be assertive, and to take criticism and praise, while girls are taught to get along, to be fair, and to negotiate differences.³ Women need to understand the culture of men in order to achieve greater success in their careers. Being decisive, maintaining a professional appearance, communicating in a clear and direct way, defining one’s own career goals, and working toward those goals are important factors for any young physician to achieve success.

Women offer so much to medicine—their intellect and skills, kindness and empathy, and organizational abilities. Many women have the innate ability to multitask, as they manage numerous activities with precision at the same time. The feminine nature to be a nurturer is reflected in the greatness of women as teachers, mentors, and role models. Women can represent a tower of strength in the world of medicine, as they often do in life.

As our society is changing with more young girls being encouraged to enter fields that had been more traditionally associated with men, I hope that we will see that these statistics regarding leadership positions change to reflect the number of women in these fields. In medicine, both academic and private practice, we must try to reduce the obstacles to the advancement of women, so that their contributions can be truly recognized.