The Significance of Women and Healthcare
Why Should This Be Taught?
History as taught has always been both male-oriented and war-oriented, any portion of history that involves women typically describes them as nothing other than wives or mothers, any portion of history that involves science or medicine is glossed over. This topic is a great example of the kind of avant-garde topics that should be introduced in the humanities curriculum. It depicts the participation of women, specifically non-western women in a traditionally male-dominated and racially-biased field. It depicts women as something other than nurses or midwives, but as influential doctors who have done multitudes for the communities they serve. Their stories express the struggles they underwent to pave the path for other women to further their cause. They represent women who are undefined by stereotypes and sought to change the status quo. Additionally highlighting the social injustice of medicine, furthermore connecting the influences of prejudice in a field that is supposed to be unbiased and universal. Teaching this topic would inspire young women to begin a potential career in science, technology, engineering and medicine. By specifically mentioning women whose nationalities are that of a minority, would encourage other women of color to try. It would also break a mold that has shaped our society; it would show that women are more than what stereotypes dictate.
Why is this Relevant To Today?
It is projected that women are starting to outnumber men in the medical field. In 2017, almost half the doctors from The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries were women, along with 70% of the global healthcare workforce. As time progresses, this number will only increase. However, it is important to note that although statistics from several countries indicate the steady increase in women pursuing careers in medicine, healthcare is still significantly biased towards them. Specifically in the way that healthcare professionals are more likely to misdiagnose, undertreat women in favor of attributing symptoms to that of a psychological cause rather than a biological or medical one. If healthcare is universal, its practices and methodology should be equal for any person, regardless of sex or race. Stories of the inequalities of healthcare for women emphasize that the problem isn’t something of years past but a reality that is still present and purposefully downplayed. Most notably, Serena Williams had to urgently insist to the hospital staff that she was experiencing a pulmonary embolism after her C-section when “the nurse thought her pain medicine might be making her confused,” (Haskel, Vogue). Namely, the existence of women-only hospitals serve to prove that there is a clear divide between medical availability for men
Image: OECD Global Statistics 2021
and women. The relevance of representing female doctors as well as outlining the systematic racial and gender centric prejudice speaks of monumental proportions in a generation that is fighting for equality.
How Has Erasure Affected People’s Views On This Topic?
History as we know it has never had one correct perspective, however what we do know is that the erasure of accomplishments from a minority by a majority is common, to the point it is almost expected. The clear bias and its implications on a group has seeped into every vestibule in the medical field and is seldomly talked about. Unless taught, many would live unknowing of the skewed information that was regarded as an axiom. Many would not realize that medicine is garnered and catered by men for men. Although it seems ludicrous, medical knowledge on topics such as breast cancer, uterine cancer and menopause that is mostly or exclusively seen in women, were tested and trialed using men. It is not taught to any person that the principles that hold the fundamentals of research in medicine seen today are dictated by archaic stereotypes. Male bias has purposefully shunned any attempts to study the female form to “reduce the number of variables introduced,” and therefore have used male bodies as a template in which all medical practices are deemed applicable. The exclusion of physiological and biological differences between both sexes have never been investigated; rather any symptoms a woman presents in a clinical office is seen as a deviation explained commonly by hysteria and melodrama.