I wonder if there's also an effect that since the field used to be male dominated, the women that do end up becoming doctors are better than their male colleagues, because you have to counter the negative bias.
I wrote about a similar issue in workplace discrimination - basically, minority employees at stores performed between with minority managers, but performed worse with white managers (and also worse with more prejudiced managers). So on average both groups, minority employees and white employees, performed identically, it turns out that minority employees attached to the right manager would outperform everyone (https://www.nominalnews.com/p/housing-rental-discrimination)
I've been disabled since '01. Retired doc (M) assessed me for disability, "How long have you been hurting?" Me boiling, "Since 19 fucking 52" - "Oh." I just couldn't force my body to ignore the pain anymore.
Just got a new doctor (F), my previous one (M) moved (to be clear, he was great). 2nd appt renewing Rx. She asks about my pain at the moment and I rattled off my current issues. Her response was unique, "I'm so sorry" - didn't expect that. Might be the only time 'cause I cannot recall any other.
Yeah, in general my women PCPs were more engaged than the men. I have some specialists that are men, and they appear to understand how the patient deals with whatever they are specialized in. Male PCP - not so much. With the last one being an exception.
Of course not! You can choose to be treated by any doctor of your liking, the male doctors with a 2.4% death rate vs the female doctors with a 1.6% rate. Clearly, there's no difference in these numbers, so you're right, it wouldn't matter. Especially with the knowledge that female doctors yield better results than male doctors, who would even question the doctor's gender if "they're good at being a doctor".
This piece highlights the lower mortality rates among patients of female doctors. In the context of this article, the gender of the doctor is significant. What's crucial to understand, based on this article, is the presence of socio-ecological factors that contribute to this trend. It's important to examine these factors because while it shouldn't matter, the data suggests that it does. Without understanding the issue, we can't effectively address it, David.
No David. You did not benefit from reading this article. The author is clearly on to something.
Excerpt---
"Women are socialised to excel at care and
to be other-oriented, nurturing, empathetic and compassionate practically from the moment we’re little girls."
This fact alone makes all the difference. Too many male doctors are cold, clinical, hurried, and generally lack the sensitivity that women offer. Women make better doctors In regard to the doctor-patient relationship. And I'm not even getting started on the baked in misogyny that permeates not only the medical field, but all professions. My own medical providers are about 60% female.
In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez talks about how medicine assumes male bodies to be the norm. The result of that is that women and women's experiences are either not considered or seen as anomalous. Male as the measure of human affects everything from the temperature that offices are set at, to the fact that women are more likely to be seriously injured in car accidents because crash test dummies are based on men's not women's bodies. In medicine, signs of a heart attack are signs that men typically experience. And so women miss the signs because though they may be typically signs for women, are excluded because much of medicine still bases its studies on what happens to men. Medical research too, decides whose pain is worth attending to, and who is just complaining.
I don’t doubt the data but from a patient perspective I’ve been misdiagnosed, belittled and dismissed equally by men and women. I’ll concede the women were less agressive about it but between a man telling me I could go complain to a different hospital and a woman telling me if the orange-sized cyst in my ovary has been there for a while, it could stay longer without problem (except the debilitating pain that she thought I was exaggerating and the risk of it bursting at any moment), I’ve now developed a fear of doctors that makes me avoid going to the doctor and pass out with anxiety when I finally decide to go.
I would add to that that the geographic and socio economic origin of the doctor would be an interesting angle to study these differences. Again, it’s only my experience, but while facing the same issue, I was treated with so much more care, respect and compassion in North Africa and the Middle East than I was in my own country (France). Mind you, I am an “Arab”, so I’m assuming the treatment I received in France included a race tax (also called Mediterranean syndrome) whereby women of color are considered to be drama queens rather than human beings in pain, when we say we’re in pain.
In short, I now see doctors the same way I see my neighbor’s dog: it may be nice —well-meaning even— but I’d rather not give it a chance to bite me.
I wonder if there's also an effect that since the field used to be male dominated, the women that do end up becoming doctors are better than their male colleagues, because you have to counter the negative bias.
I wrote about a similar issue in workplace discrimination - basically, minority employees at stores performed between with minority managers, but performed worse with white managers (and also worse with more prejudiced managers). So on average both groups, minority employees and white employees, performed identically, it turns out that minority employees attached to the right manager would outperform everyone (https://www.nominalnews.com/p/housing-rental-discrimination)
That could be the case as well. If you want to break down all the barriers, you need to work harder than people who never had those in front of them.
I've been disabled since '01. Retired doc (M) assessed me for disability, "How long have you been hurting?" Me boiling, "Since 19 fucking 52" - "Oh." I just couldn't force my body to ignore the pain anymore.
Just got a new doctor (F), my previous one (M) moved (to be clear, he was great). 2nd appt renewing Rx. She asks about my pain at the moment and I rattled off my current issues. Her response was unique, "I'm so sorry" - didn't expect that. Might be the only time 'cause I cannot recall any other.
Yeah, in general my women PCPs were more engaged than the men. I have some specialists that are men, and they appear to understand how the patient deals with whatever they are specialized in. Male PCP - not so much. With the last one being an exception.
I am happy ! My wife is a doctor and she takes care of me...
generally speaking, I agree with you and female doctors look better
Well, you're quite lucky then!
Yes, I am
Does it matter what gender the doctor is if they are good at being a doctor? That's what's most important here.
Of course not! You can choose to be treated by any doctor of your liking, the male doctors with a 2.4% death rate vs the female doctors with a 1.6% rate. Clearly, there's no difference in these numbers, so you're right, it wouldn't matter. Especially with the knowledge that female doctors yield better results than male doctors, who would even question the doctor's gender if "they're good at being a doctor".
If only the whole world was able to see the things with that kind of objectivity…well I can dream.
This piece highlights the lower mortality rates among patients of female doctors. In the context of this article, the gender of the doctor is significant. What's crucial to understand, based on this article, is the presence of socio-ecological factors that contribute to this trend. It's important to examine these factors because while it shouldn't matter, the data suggests that it does. Without understanding the issue, we can't effectively address it, David.
No David. You did not benefit from reading this article. The author is clearly on to something.
Excerpt---
"Women are socialised to excel at care and
to be other-oriented, nurturing, empathetic and compassionate practically from the moment we’re little girls."
This fact alone makes all the difference. Too many male doctors are cold, clinical, hurried, and generally lack the sensitivity that women offer. Women make better doctors In regard to the doctor-patient relationship. And I'm not even getting started on the baked in misogyny that permeates not only the medical field, but all professions. My own medical providers are about 60% female.
Bold of you to assume any of the males commenting read the article. ;)
In Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez talks about how medicine assumes male bodies to be the norm. The result of that is that women and women's experiences are either not considered or seen as anomalous. Male as the measure of human affects everything from the temperature that offices are set at, to the fact that women are more likely to be seriously injured in car accidents because crash test dummies are based on men's not women's bodies. In medicine, signs of a heart attack are signs that men typically experience. And so women miss the signs because though they may be typically signs for women, are excluded because much of medicine still bases its studies on what happens to men. Medical research too, decides whose pain is worth attending to, and who is just complaining.
Because women doctors look at you as a patient needing help. Male doctors look at you as a disease they would like to conquer.
I don’t doubt the data but from a patient perspective I’ve been misdiagnosed, belittled and dismissed equally by men and women. I’ll concede the women were less agressive about it but between a man telling me I could go complain to a different hospital and a woman telling me if the orange-sized cyst in my ovary has been there for a while, it could stay longer without problem (except the debilitating pain that she thought I was exaggerating and the risk of it bursting at any moment), I’ve now developed a fear of doctors that makes me avoid going to the doctor and pass out with anxiety when I finally decide to go.
I would add to that that the geographic and socio economic origin of the doctor would be an interesting angle to study these differences. Again, it’s only my experience, but while facing the same issue, I was treated with so much more care, respect and compassion in North Africa and the Middle East than I was in my own country (France). Mind you, I am an “Arab”, so I’m assuming the treatment I received in France included a race tax (also called Mediterranean syndrome) whereby women of color are considered to be drama queens rather than human beings in pain, when we say we’re in pain.
In short, I now see doctors the same way I see my neighbor’s dog: it may be nice —well-meaning even— but I’d rather not give it a chance to bite me.