GENDER IN MEDICAL CAREERS

Gender in Medical Careers: Role of Gender in Stereotypes and Research in Doctors’ Professional Lives Gender relations constitute an important aspect of the contemporary labour market. With rising numbers of women in the work force, they have had to negotiate their gendered identities in the career advancement of their work lives. This thesis seeks to explore the role of gender in medical careers by looking at its impact in two dimensions; on the formation and perpetuation of gender-based stereotypes, and on the role of gender in research activity and scientific productivity. A mixed method approach, employing both qualitative and quantitative research methods, has been used to study the research objectives. Gender inequality in the form of exclusionary processes and marginalisation mechanisms exist in all the medical specialisations in the composition and decision-making of research teams or collaborations and its subsequent consequences on research activity and scientific productivity. The formation of a research team, research collaboration, marginalisation of women from research groups, restriction of women from performing important research tasks or presence of informal ‘men’s club’ where men support each other’s interests are the invisible exclusionary processes and mechanisms which affect research activity and scientific productivity of male and female doctors. Significant gender differences also exist when it comes to first-authored publications. Additionally, a complex inter-relationship of these outlined issues with a doctor’s job position, specialisation and age can have implications on the scientific productivity of a medical doctor. Gender roles and gender stereotypes are prevalent in the medical profession where conflicting roles can create tension between hospital personnel. Gender roles are differentiated for men and women in some aspects whereas in other aspects, significant differences between men and women were observed. Gender stereotypes are deeply embedded in a person’s mind-set and many actions, and even the very speech of doctors, show that sexist attitudes have been internalised by doctors and nurses. Female doctors consider themselves ‘lucky’ and rarely credit their own hard work for their successes or achievements. Female doctors try to ‘become like men’ in order to be successful in their careers. It is interesting that understanding and compassion, which are seen as traditionally feminine traits or ‘communal’ traits, are displayed by both men and women and not by women alone in the medical profession. Decisiveness and assertiveness, traditionally ‘masculine’ traits, are displayed more by men than women for low to medium levels of the traits. However, women exhibiting ‘masculine’ traits such as ambitiousness or aggressiveness may be judged harshly. It is not just gender, but a cross-section of age and gender too that affects stereotypes and relationships between doctors, in the doctor-nurse or doctor-patient relationship in the hospital work space.