Women in Healthcare

YOUNG WOMEN IN STEM

According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), only 28% of workers in the STEM field are women. This disparity is caused by many factors, one of them being stereotypes that discourage young women from pursuing STEM careers. The confidence gap -- a theory that women feel less confident in their abilities compared to their male counterparts -- can start as soon as math classes in elementary school as “many girls lose confidence in math by third grade.”

DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

However, relying on the theory of the confidence gap when determining a woman’s capabilities may also contribute to the “confidence myth,” a misconception that women aren’t as confident to carry out executive tasks. Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm, comments on the issue: “healthcare does not have a “women in healthcare” problem, it has a “women in healthcare leadership” problem.” This type of discrimination against women in positions of power can actually be counterproductive to the overall goal of healthcare. In fact, according to an article by the Harvard Business Review, if the care provider is a female physician, there is a lower probability of a patient dying or being readmitted to the hospital. Some reasons for this more effective care might be that female doctors are more likely to have more constructive communication with their patients and exhibit a more cooperative attitude with fellow physicians in the workplace. In 2018, Rock Health conducted a survey called Women in Healthcare, in which they obtained more than 600 responses that revealed the experiences of women in this field. An interesting result was that the size of the company was inversely correlated with the fostering of a more supportive environment as women felt more comfortable in smaller companies. This might suggest that there needs to be a bigger emphasis on building smaller communities within larger healthcare companies where women can voice their concerns.

DIVERSITY IN HEALTHCARE

Moreover, McKinsey & Company reported in 2020 that about 66 percent of entry-level healthcare workers are women, of which only 20 percent are women of color. A reason for this larger percentage at entry-level might be because “men are generally more promoted than women.” The representation of women in the C-suite is at a low 30 percent, of which only 5 percent are women of color. This is a concerning figure, especially since only a small percentage of employees claim that diversity is a top priority in their workplace.

HEALTH PROBLEMS

Another reason why the bias against women in the healthcare workspace is especially concerning is that, while the likelihood of male physicians committing suicide is 40 percent higher than the general population, female physicians are at a shocking 130 percent higher likelihood. This statistic might also be produced by the extra burdens which women in the healthcare field face. For example, women tend to have more responsibilities than men as they often have to grapple with household and child care duties in addition to their careers. Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the amount of work women have had to handle as they are working a “double double shift” of 20 additional work hours. Furthermore, female physicians only take an average of eight weeks of paid maternity leave, while residents take an average of six. And if the short amount of time of paid leave wasn’t enough, physicians who take maternity leave often face maternal discrimination.