While it’s rarely a major factor in their career satisfaction, sexism can sometimes make doctors feel unappreciated or frustrated with their work. The results of a new report appear to suggest that some of the discrimination comes from colleagues. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, female doctors feel this discrimination more than male doctors.according to Report from medical scene.
Medscape surveyed 2,341 US physicians in more than 29 specialties. Among them, 62% were male, 33% were female, and 5% did not want to be disclosed. Two-thirds of female respondents said they had experienced sexism from medical colleagues, while only 30% of men said the same.
This discrimination varies by doctor, the report said. Some of the women doctors interviewed said they were often the only women involved in decision-making meetings, while others said they felt that women doctors who chose to have children had their career development and residency opportunities hampered.
Sexism also often comes in the form of comments from male colleagues, according to Leslie Kane, senior director of the Medscape medical business website. When male physicians disparage the clinical diagnoses or recommendations of their female counterparts, female physicians feel their expertise is being ignored, which often results in a drop in confidence.
For example, one participant said that male doctors would sometimes talk about her or interrupt her as she explained the reason for her diagnosis.If this happens Kane added that in the presence of patients, it can be embarrassing for female doctors and can affect patients’ perceptions of their abilities.
When it comes to patients who exhibit sexism, more female physicians report seeing prejudice than their male counterparts. About one-third of physicians said they or colleagues had experienced sexism at the hands of a patient. This is true for 57% of female physicians and 19% of male physicians.
This happens when female patients seek out female physicians based on the belief that women provide empathic care more than men, Kane said.Other examples include Female doctors have repeatedly been mistaken for nurses, or patients have asked when they will see the “real doctor” after they have completed their exams.Kane It was also mentioned that, historically, women in healthcare have faced more flirtatious and lewd comments from patients than men.
Often, female doctors view patient sexism as a relatively innocuous micro-aggression, dismissing comments like “You’re too pretty to be a doctor.” This resilience is especially true among older female physicians, Kane said. She points out that some older doctors started their careers at a time when women were completely discouraged from practicing medicine, a view that often makes them feel like it’s not worth worrying about small differences in treatment. An older female respondent to the survey said discrimination today is “often trivial and surmountable”, unlike the “horrific things of the past”.
While society has become more tolerant and encouraging of women in jobs traditionally held by men, it is still not easy for women to protest when they feel belittled. When female doctors do speak out about the discrimination they face in the workplace, they often do so in the safe spaces of other women, Kane said.
“Women physicians are more likely to mention sexism to other female patients, nurses, residents and physicians,” she said. “So, you have more women who know these things because they talk about them to each other. Conversely, it’s much less likely to be mentioned to men. So men don’t always benefit from knowing about it. “
This means female doctors must speak openly about the issue with male colleagues and managers to reduce sexism in their fields. These conversations can educate male physicians by making them aware of situations in which they exhibit unconscious bias, and potentially encourage male physicians to stand up for female colleagues if they find themselves facing discriminatory treatment.
Productive conversations about sexism in medicine also have the potential to increase physician job satisfaction. Kane noted that while burnout and lack of administrative support are often the reasons physicians believe they are dissatisfied with their jobs, sexism may also help physicians feel comfortable and fulfilled in their positions.
Given that staffing constraints are an existing problem in healthcare today, hospital managers and administrators will be well placed to address these structural issues in the workplace.
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