Feminism In The Medical Field

Women have struggled to battle sexist sentiments in all aspects of their lives. The medical field has been a key front for women as they fight for an end to sexism and has thus harbored feminism. Bell hooks’ definition of feminism states that “feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,” which have all been problems within the medical field. Women have historically been limited to live within the domestic sphere with all of their contributions remaining within the house. This made the prospect of women showing the ambition and ability to go into the medical field preposterous to many. Considering these stigmas, it makes sense that feminism was necessary to promote change. Influential women have worked hard to

end sexism and oppression within the medical field, yet significant obstacles still remain for women pursuing careers in medicine within the United States.
Many of the gains that women have made within the medical field can be accredited to individual women who forged their own success within the field. For a long period of time, women’s only opportunity to participate in the medical field was through careers like nursing. Unfortunately, nursing was not seen as a profession until Florence Nightingale came along to make some crucial changes. Florence Nightingale was largely responsible for the professionalization of nursing. She started with efforts to improve the conditions that soldiers faced during the Crimean War in the 1850s through hospital reform and compassion towards patients. She also trained nurses, increasing nursing standards. When Nightingale noticed that ten times more soldiers were dying from illness rather than injury, due to horrid and incredibly unsanitary conditions, she contacted the British government and convinced them to send a sanitary team. This caused the death rate to drop from 42.7 percent to 2.2 percent. She also established the Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, allowing women to become educated in the fields that were socially acceptable for them at this time. Nightingale created a platform that allowed women to contribute in a more significant way, while also saving many lives. Her contributions cleared the way for women to strive to become involved in sectors of the medical field that were dominated by men.
One of the greatest and, at the time, most shocking advancements for women was the first admittance and graduation of a woman from medical school.

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female doctor of modern times. She was encouraged to pursue a career in medicine by a sick friend who thought women would be more sympathetic toward patients and treat them better. She applied to thirty different colleges and was only accepted into Geneva College due to the sexism that existed within the medical community. Dr. Blackwell faced many obstacles during her time in medical school, including teachers attempting to dismiss her from the class when discussing reproductive anatomy. She eventually won the respect of professors and peers alike. Dr. Blackwell’s graduation was essentially a women's rights event with many women coming together in support. She went on to establish a hospital in New York City that focused on care for women and children. She also helped make advancements in providing care for wounded soldiers and wrote numerous books tackling the barriers between women and careers in medicine. One of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell’s more well-known books is entitled Medicine as a Profession for Women, and it was co-written by her sister Dr. Emily Blackwell. In this book, the sisters shed light on how women’s advancements in the medical field would lead to gains in the overall equality of rights. The sisters powerfully claimed that "The thorough education of a class of women in

medicine will exert an important influence upon the life and interests of women in general..." Dr. Blackwell did not just fight to advance herself professionally; she fought to advance all women regardless of their aspirations. She believed that by opening up the medical field to women, she could have increased women's rights in other areas as well. Her astounding achievements within the medical field helped to break down the barriers that barred women from a comprehensive education and to create a life in the social sphere rather than being isolated to the domestic one. She also proved that women could be competent and do much more than what the general public perceived them capable of. Many incredible women would follow in her footsteps to make their own significant contributions.
Dr. Mary Edward Walker was yet another woman who defied what society expected of her. She became the first female surgeon in the United States after graduating medical school in 1855. Afterwards, Dr. Walker boldly entered a focus of medicine that is still dominated by men in modern times. She started a practice with her husband Albert Miller; the practice ended up failing, which is thought to have happened because Dr. Walker refused to change her last name and because of sexist viewpoints on the capabilities of women during this time. Despite the failure of her practice she continued to perform surgery, becoming the first female surgeon in the army in 1863. She then received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1865 for her service. Until 2008 she was the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker’s story highlights the effects that sexist sentiment could have on women during this time. It was nearly impossible for a woman to create a successful practice during this age; many people did not want to be treated my female physicians which left women with few clients. Despite the many obstacles that faced women attempting to pursue what were considered "male" careers, Dr. Walker showed perseverance and passion for medicine. Her success while in the army made her a high profile woman who forced people to realize that women were willing to fight for their rights in the medical field and in general.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was another woman who defied stereotypes and promoted feminism within the medical field. Dr. Crumpler started off as a nurse before becoming the first African American woman to earn a medical degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College in 1864. Dr. Crumpler went on to practice for a short while in Boston before moving her efforts to Richmond, Virginia after the end of the Civil War. She cared for freed slaves alongside other African American physicians, and bravely challenged both racism and sexism in the war-torn Southern United States. Dr. Crumpler’s courageous actions as a female doctor reiterated females’ competence within this field. It also shifted the movement to be more inclusive, so it involved not only Caucasian women. Dr. Crumpler also wrote a book titled Book of Medical Discourses in 1883 that described her path to a degree in medicine and her medical notes during her time practicing. This book allowed her influence to reach farther, adding significance to her contributions. Dr. Crumpler’s actions have had an impact that has long outlived her.
Through these influential women, as well as other people, women have made significant gains within the medical field. One of the most obvious gains for women has been the number of females that are choosing to pursue medicine by enrolling in medical school. The number of women in medical schools remained limited, with females only making up 6% of any class, until the 1970s. At this point, the number of women applying and enrolling in medical schools started to increase. This shift is largely due to the women's movement, which was gaining momentum at this time, and an increase in the number of positions available within the medical field. The increasing number of women that were completing undergraduate college and the ratification of the equal opportunity act also contributed. In 1970, women only made up only 5% of all physicians. These changes in medical school enrollment allowed that number to steadily rise to 24% in 2001. The number of males and females in medical schools has since balanced out at approximately 50-50 according to the American Association of Medical Colleges. There has been a significant overhaul in the perception of women being able to get into medical schools. This is extremely significant as it helps women be able to make a career for themselves within the medical field. It also gives women considering to pursue a career in medicine more confidence in their ability, destroying many of the barriers that have limited female participation.
The foundation of Office of Research on Women's Health was key in the advancement of women in the medical field. Severe imbalances in the spending of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) according to gender led to outrage in 1990. This public discontent led to women's healthcare being brought to the political front lines with over 20 separate bills on the topic being presented to Congress. The ORWH was founded within the NIH that same year as a result. Not only did this advance the healthcare quality that women received, but it also gave women the opportunity to take leadership roles within the medical field. The ORWH, recognizing the connection between women's healthcare and women in medicine, also strived to increase the number and success of women with careers in biomedical research. The ORWH made many significant contributions to the advancements of women in the medical field as a result of seeking better healthcare for women. The ORWH lifted the FDA's restrictions on women being subjects in clinical trials and sponsored a clinical study on the care of postmenopausal women. The significant and respected work of the ORWH also led to the tenure of Dr. Bernadine Healy who was the first and only woman director of the NIH. The ORWH was vital in highlighting the importance of women in medicine. Women in the medical field, especially in academic and leadership positions, act to improve the healthcare opportunities of all women. Women's involvement in the decision-making process ensured that women would not be overlooked in receiving the care and research that they need. The ORWH's recognition of this has allowed women to make significant gains yet there is a disproportional number of women in high academic medical roles.
The disproportionate number of women involved and successful in academic medicine has become a serious concern.

Studies have shown that of the 534 medical schools deans appointed from 1980 to 2006, only 38 were women. It was also revealed that women generally had shorter tenures and took longer to advance compared to men. Another study was done to determine the cause for these barriers by surveying 4,578 faculty members at 26 various U.S. medical schools. Women who participated in this study generally reported a lower sense of belonging and did not feel as supported as their male colleagues. They were also more pessimistic about the idea of their institutions having ideals that align with their own or being family friendly. It is hypothesized that medical school’s inability to provide women with an environment where they feel supported and accepted regardless of gender has led to this “glass ceiling”. There has been much more research done on this disturbing topic revealing that "women represent 17% of tenured professors, 16% of full professors, 10% of all department chairs, and 11% of all medical school deans at U.S. academic medical centers (AMC)." Despite women's advancements in the medical field as a whole, they continue to struggle when it comes to advancing in the academic sector of this field. Instead, they are largely limited to what is known as "institutional housekeeping" which includes clinicians and educators. While these positions are vital and respectable,

they represent how women are often limited to certain sectors within the academic medical field and are often barred from advancement. Women not only face a decreased ability to advance in academic medicine but they also generally feel less comfortable within their career. This could lead to a decrease in the drive of women if they become discouraged which may cause the problem to propagate, keeping the issue from being resolved.
Sectors of the medical field, such as surgery, are still dominated by males leaving women underrepresented in these areas. Despite women now making up approximately half of the people in medical school, as of 2001, women only made up 14% of surgical residents. This has risen from 2% in 1980. Research has shown that women that do go into surgery tend to have female and male role models that have been successful professionally who have motivated them. Women have felt discouraged to pursue a career in surgery because they perceive it to be too difficult and the uncontrollable hours make it difficult to raise a family. While the number of women in the surgical field has increased, it has not done so nearly to the extent of women in medical school. The idea that women are responsible for the house has made many women more apprehensive about becoming surgeons. It's difficult to raise children when you may be called into emergency surgeries and you have long and variant hours. While women are largely now accepted to pursue careers and have aspirations outside of the home, society still puts pressure on women to have a typical home life on top of that. Support systems are necessary for many women to overcome that apprehension whether it be a successful role model or friend. Being able to create more stable hours would most likely increase the number of women in surgery, possibly by having other surgeons that would be educated on the cases that could perform emergency surgeries. While this concept has many cons of its own to consider, it is clear that some kind of action must be taken order to improve the condition of women in surgery.
Amazing women have created enormous advancements within the medical field by challenging bias and defying social implications of what women should act like, all the while making important scientific contributions and systematic reforms. They allowed for broader advancements for women in medicine, and in general. Now, women continue their work by striving for excellence within the medical field. They are the ones with the power to solve those remaining imbalances that women in history were not able to fix. The future for women in medicine holds many possibilities, so long as this demonstrated fervor continues.