This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Grace Ellen Pereira Costa, a first-year medical student at the Federal University of Pará, Altamira campus – Brazil. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.
While the statistics show significant growth of women in medicine, health units still have a largely male dominated environment in which stigmas about strength, working time and high pressure environment, still remain in specialties, such as surgery.
Gender-related discussions are present in society with a unique dynamic, in which they are marked by the submission of women by men. The female gender, faces since birth the position of coadiuvante in their own lives. It is expected that the high-level positions and the great responsibilities, to be in the hands of a men, who, unlike the woman, are placed in a position of superiority. However, over the centuries and the accumulation of conquest by the feminist community, women gain strength and value before the prejudiced and violent mentality of the labor market.
The female representation, during the pandemic period of COVID-19, demonstrated a great progress when the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) showed the predominance of women in the health work teams that also make up the front line of the fight against COVID-19, representing around 70% of the health and social service groups. Thus, the freedom and strength of the female identity begins to gain prominence amid the chaos propagated by the health crisis installed after the first notification of infection with the new Coronavirus in December 2019.
In spite of this, hierarchically inferior positions in companies are still a reality, as well as low wages for women when compared to the same position held by someone of the male gender. Therefore, it is understood that the “feminization” in the health area is not enough to ensure the proper space for women in society, what really matters is the recognition associated with the position of women in this environment, as leaders and protagonists.
Besides, more than occupying places and statistics, women must represent the overcoming of all the social and biological stigmas still associated with women in medicine.
References
Scheffer, M. C.; Cassenote, A. J. F. A feminização da medicina no Brasil. Revista de bioética [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2021 Mar 22]; 21 (2): 268-77. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/pdf/bioet/v21n2/a10v21n2.pdf.
A guerra tem rosto de mulher: trabalhadoras da saúde no enfrentamento à Covid-19 [Internet] 2020 Apr 17 [cited 2021 Mar 22]. Available from: http://anesp.org.br/todas-as-noticias/2020/4/16/a-guerra-tem-rosto-de-mulher-trabalhadoras-da-sade-no-enfrentamento-covid-19.
Matos, I. B.; Ceriotti T., Ramona F. DE O., Maria C. Profissões e Ocupações de Saúde e o Processo de Feminização: Tendências e Implicações. Athenea Digital [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2021 Mar 22]; 13(2), 239-244. Available from: http://psicologiasocial.uab.es/athenea/index.php/atheneaDigital/article/view/Matos
About the author
Grace Ellen Pereira Costa is a first-year medical student at the Federal University of Pará, Altamira campus – Brazil. She is a member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, serving as the Local Public Health Officer. She is mainly interested in Child and Adolescent health. In addition, she believes and works so that in the future medicine can be more humanized and health care can be a guaranteed right for all people in the world.
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It is expected that the high-level positions and the great responsibilities, to be in the hands of a men, who, unlike the woman, are placed in a position of superiority. However, over the centuries and the accumulation of conquest by the feminist community, women gain strength and value before the prejudiced and violent mentality of the labor market. This blog is important and helpful page.