Women in Medicine

By Fatamah Esa

Patient consulting with her doctor

Patient consulting with her doctor

Over the last century, there has been progress for women in medicine. In the 1930s, only 4.4% of all medical students were women compared to today’s 47%. However, the increase in the number of students is practically the only gains that women are experiencing.The gender pay gap is a problem in many careers but I was shocked to learn that this was also a major issue for women in the medical field. According to the Center for Research on Gender in the Professions, there continues to exist a fairly big gender pay gap and women are paid 79% of what their male counterparts earn.

Another problem is that women continue to be underrepresented in medicine and only 34% of physicians are women. Even among those female physicians, most are in the four lowest-paid specialties which include family practice, pediatrics, psychiatry, and internal medicine (Empowering). These specialties account for over 70% of all female physicians. Even in medical organizations there is a gender imbalance; in fact, the AMA, one of the largest and most powerful medical organization in the country, didn’t have a woman on their board until 1989. There is a clear and apparent male domination in medicine which is unjust but hopefully in upcoming years there will be equal opportunities and pay without gender discrimination.

Sources:

"Empowering Women in Medicine - Introduction - Feminist Majority Foundation." Empowering

Women in Medicine - Introduction - Feminist Majority Foundation. Feminist Majority Foundation, n.d.

Web. 09 Oct. 2015.

Williams, Stacy J. "Medical Professions: The Status of Women and Men." (n.d.): n. pag.

Center for Research on Gender in the Professions, 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2015