Gender bias in healthcare takes many forms. Patients might think that all females with a stethoscope around their necks are nurses and that men in scrubs must be doctors. A recent study reports that younger patients are more likely to identify female physicians and male nurses correctly. However, overall, the study found that most patients associate the nursing profession to female healthcare workers.
If you're wondering what gender bias is and ways you can help educate others, we've got you covered. Here is some essential information you need to understand gender bias in healthcare.
Gender Bias in Healthcare
Gender bias can be prejudice or preference toward one gender over another. It might be a conscious decision or can be an unconscious belief you have about someone based on their sex. In healthcare, gender bias is to blame for unreasonable comments like Joy Behar's 2015 statement about nurses and Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson wearing a "doctor's stethoscope,” and the general belief that all nurses are women.
Gender bias in the workplace is also responsible for wage disparities between men and women in all industries and even issues of sexual discrimination in the workplace. While women have made huge strides, there were still only 24 female CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies across the nation in 2018. However, more recognition is being given to women in leadership positions. In December 2018, Becker's Hospital Review recognized 143 female leaders of hospitals and health systems. However, not many were nurses.
Men in Nursing
The number of men in nursing has been on a steady incline for many years. According to Montana State University, the number of male nurses continues to increase in the total amount. However, the representation of full-time male nurses has remained steady at about 11 percent of the total number of nurses between 2011 and 2016. The average age of male RN's is about two years younger than female RNs, which is a good thing when you look at the overall trajectory of men in the profession.
The interesting thing about men in nursing is that while they don't make up the highest proportion of nurses, they do tend to earn higher wages compared to women. In fact, on average, they make about $2 more per hour than women in similar positions. You might be thinking that $2 isn't much, but when you calculate that out over a year at 40-hours a week, the difference is a bit over $4000 annually.
Women in Medicine
If we're going to look at men in nursing, it's only fair to take a peek at the number of women doctors, too. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are 1,005,295 physicians in the United States as of March 2019. A total of 359,409 (36%) identified as female and 644,683 (64%) are male, while 1203 were unspecified. These numbers make medicine a male-dominated profession.
A 2018 Medscape report about Physician Compensation reported that women physicians who worked as plastic surgeons, gastroenterologists, and radiologists are among the highest earners for female doctors. Male doctors in primary care reported an average salary of $293,000 per year or about $140 an hour. Women in primary care practices made an average of $203,000 each year or about $97 an hour based on a 40-hour week. That's a difference of $43 for every hour worked.
Ways to Help
When you think of gender bias in healthcare, you might not even notice it at first because the make-up of your unit is what it is, right? However, when you start to research the numbers and look at the salary differences for women in just about any healthcare role, you might begin thinking that there is an issue. The study reported at the beginning of this article also brings up the question of how patients might respond to a female doctor or a male nurse during care. These are a few of the problems we need to consider and help resolve.
Here are a few simple things you can do to help:
Support the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN)
The American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) is on a mission to "shape the practice, education, research, and leadership for men in nursing and advance men's health.” Two of their objectives that all of us can help with include encouraging men of all ages to become nurses, and then supporting them in the profession. Consider mentoring young men in nursing or even talking at a local high school career day about the importance of expanding the number of men in nursing.
Support Women in STEM
There has been a big push to support more women to enter into professions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This covers a broad range of occupations but certainly covers many healthcare professions that young women should consider. Much like supporting men in nursing, if you have a love of STEM, consider becoming a volunteer with young women making decisions about their future and helping them find jobs in science and healthcare.
Talk About the Disparities
Have you ever noticed that when you make a conscious effort to talk about issues that plague the workplace, they tend to lose their strength? So, if you're at the bedside when a patient calls a female doctor a nurse, politely correct them. And, when you hear someone make an insensitive comment about men in nursing, tell them about the awesome male nurses you work with and how you would love to have more men work alongside you. It's that simple!
Do you have other ideas for diminishing the existence of gender bias in healthcare? If so, we would love to hear them. Drop a comment below.
rhellner57
40 Posts
Having graduated in 1978, making me an older respondent, I had men in my class and a couple years before my class too. The men were aspiring to go into critical care roles and CRNA education. I have had male nurses in roles of DON and CNO and found both to be great mentors since they were both previously floor nurses. Most of my career has been in pediatrics and obstetrics so very few men have been my co-partners. I have had NNP that was as sensitive as a teddy bear to those little premies. Many women even seek out a female doctor during their childbearing years so I am not sure if they would accept a male nurse. As for my preference, I have had some male doctors that were much more gentler that females and I do not believe i would have issues of being cared for by a male nurse.