The Gender Gap in Healthcare—Our Stories Behind the Statistics

I was shocked by the experiences Linda Brodsky MD shared when she spoke at an AAUW event about gender discrimination in her medical profession. She’s become a crusader for women in medicine–you’ll see why in this guest post, and we should all cheer her on. Be sure to check out her blog and share your story with her.

Today women comprise more than 50% of medical students, 40% of resident trainees and by the end of 2010, 30% of physicians. Could it be that we’re finally closing the gender gap in medicine? No. And nothing is further from the truth. Until women decision and policy makers are leading the discussion at the table (or on the bench), women will not become impactful leaders soon enough, contrary to what these overly optimistic statistics suggest.

From the halls of medical academia to the editorial boards of medical journals, from the ranks of organized medicine to the NIH committees that judge research worthiness, the number of women are much fewer than they should be. Where are all the women leaders?

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