The healthcare system’s ultimate aim is to meet the medical needs of all citizens without any form of prejudice. Unfortunately, this is not the reality in most regions or countries across the world. Since males dominate this field, the challenge of sexism affects the experiences of both caregivers and patients. Many female medical professionals lack similar opportunities for promotions and remunerations while patients fail to get exemplary medical services. In nursing, many males encounter similar cases of discrimination from their patients. The purpose of this paper is to examine different forms of sexism in healthcare, their leading causes, and evidence-based initiatives to mitigate them.
Sexism in Healthcare
The existence of sexism and inequality in the healthcare sector is attributable to the nature of implemented policies. Current legislation has supported a narrative whereby women are expected to remain obedient and subservient to male professionals. This has become a major challenge since there are traditional sexist views that support similar malpractices. This means that many women in this field will be less empowered or incapable of providing exemplary services to their patients. In the United States, the majority of physicians are males, something that fosters a sense of inequality (Mesquita Filho et al., 2018).
Female workers are the ones who are usually encouraged to join the nursing profession. Consequently, those practicing as physicians are viewed as successful, with higher authority, and capable of achieving their potential, while practitioners do not command adequate respect.
Physicians are empowered to supervise advanced practice nurses (APN) in most of the states across the US. The outcome is that many nurses and caregivers find it hard to pursue their goals diligently. Males who work as clinicians or practitioners are usually incapable of winning their patients’ respect or support. This remains a common problem when they are interacting with female colleagues in their respective units (Soklaridis et al., 2017). Female doctors face similar challenges whenever providing medical care to their patients.
The complexities emerging from traditional sexist views and inappropriate policies promote gender inequality for many workers in the health sector. Mesquita Filho et al. (2018) argue that female medical employees struggle to achieve the same status, rewards, and recognition as their male counterparts. A good example is that of promotion opportunities and remunerations since women do not occupy prestigious or managerial positions. This happens to be the case since men perform most of the supervisory and leadership roles in the healthcare industry.
Many female medical professionals receive minimum respect from their patients and peers. This is a major issue catalyzed by the existing guidelines, social norms, and practices. Another issue to consider is that past policies and programs have been encouraging women to pursue their goals in the nursing field instead of becoming physicians (Soklaridis et al., 2017). This malpractice is what discourages men from becoming caregivers.
The final outcome is that males prefer other career opportunities outside nursing. This is something that explains why workforce shortage is a major challenge in the American healthcare sector. Unless appropriate policies and sensitization programs are implemented, the chances are high that many professionals will continue to face similar predicaments.
The problem of sexism in this industry affects the experiences and abilities of different professionals to meet their respective patients’ health needs. Due to the issue of gender disparity, medical workers are usually unable to offer exemplary services to individuals of the opposite sex. Some women can find it difficult to discuss various issues with their male doctors and might receive different treatment or care than male patients with similar medical conditions.
Similarly, female nurses and physicians do not discuss various health matters with their male patients. This remains a major challenge since the gender of the caregiver and that of the individual will affect the quality of affordable medical services. Mesquita Filho et al. (2018) indicate that a female patient will have higher chances of receiving inappropriate treatment from male professionals. Since physicians tend to be dominant throughout the care delivery system or process, male professionals might intimidate women and make it impossible for them to disclose most of their concerns.
Similarly, many female patients will be unable to receive adequate support from such physicians because they might be suffering from conditions associated with the social stigma. Soklaridis et al. (2017) go further to explain how male physicians might decide to dismiss serious signs and symptoms because of their preconceived thoughts and imaginations. This kind of malpractice means that more people in society will not receive timely, exemplary, and high-quality services. Some men might refuse any form of treatment from a female practitioner due to the nature of promoted social norms and beliefs. Such sexism-related challenges undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the healthcare system.
The complexity of sexism is a major problem that affects the abilities and objectives of males in nursing. Although women encounter numerous difficulties in units and duties that are male-dominated, the opposite happens to be true in this field. Since the number of male nurses in most clinical settings is quite low, they have to struggle and work more effectively to ensure that patients accept or acknowledge their services. Arif and Khokhar (2017) observe that only a small percentage of nurses in the United States are men. Although their numbers have been increasing steadily, such professionals have to face various challenges and obstacles whenever interacting with their patients and colleagues in different care delivery settings.
Historically, nursing is a field that has, over the years, been dominated by women. This has been the case since it was founded by female theorists and scholars, including Florence Nightingale (Arif & Khokhar, 2017). Consequently, the existing stereotype is that women are the ones who should be on the frontline to provide exemplary patient services. This kind of development explains why men do not embrace this profession.
Another issue to consider is that the responsibilities of nurses involve close interactions with patients and their relatives. This becomes impossible for many males who are usually concerned with issues of sexual inappropriateness and misconduct accusations from female patients (Arif and Khokhar, 2017). This challenge affects the care delivery chain, thereby making it impossible for many practitioners to emerge successfully.
Conclusion
The above arguments have revealed that the healthcare sector is characterized by different forms of gender-based discrimination. This is a clear indication that both women and men are usually unable to pursue their aims or deliver timely medical services to their patients. Most of the current policies, traditional opinions, and expectations undermine the responsibilities of different professionals whenever supporting the needs of the targeted populations. These obstacles, therefore, explain why the US government should introduce new policies to empower all stakeholders and encourage members of the public to be part of the process. Such initiatives will minimize the current level of sexism and ensure that more American citizens record positive health outcomes.
References
Arif, S., & Khokhar, S. (2017). A historical glance: Challenges for male nurses. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 67(12), 1889-1894.
Mesquita Filho, M. M., Marques, T. F., Rocha, A. B. C., Oliveira, S. R., Brito, M. B., & Pereira, C. C. Q. (2018). Sexism against women among primary healthcare workers. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 23(11), 3491-3504. Web.
Soklaridis, S., Kuper, A., Whitehead, C. R., Ferguson, G., Taylor, V. H., & Zahn, C. (2017). Gender bias in hospital leadership: A qualitative study on the experiences of women CEOs. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 31(2), 253-268. Web.