“When will I see the doctor?” Most female doctors have been asked this question many times. It feels like a slight — a failure to recognize the struggle it took to get to where they are, a fight that is far from over once a woman has her medical degree. Women now make up more than half of medical students but only about 37% of practicing doctors .
That is partly because the makeup of the medical workforce lags that of the student body. But it’s also because persistent sexism drives higher attrition among women in medicine. Even in households headed by a mother and father who both work, the woman is frequently expected to be the primary caretaker.
As a result, female physicians often feel forced to work part time, choose lower-paying specialties such as pediatrics or leave the profession altogether. That’s unfortunate not just for doctors but also for patients. On the whole, female doctors are more empathetic, detail-oriented and likely to follow through than their male counterparts.
In other words, they are better doctors. Admittedly, that is a generalization, but it’s one worth making. I experienced it firsthand working with female colleagues, and I’m informed by that experience in addressing my own medical needs.
I prefer to see female doctors. It wasn’t always that way. But after seeing a series of male doctors who were not listening to me, in a hurry to get out of the exam room or appearing only mildly interested in figuring out the cause of my problem, I .