Female doctors in New York may face unique pressures while they are at work because of gender discrimination. A study that was reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined physician gender-discrimination and how it harms both the doctors as well as patients.
The researchers who authored the study posted an anonymous survey on a Facebook page of female doctors who were also mothers. They examined 947 comments that were made out of 6,000 responses. Women reported that they had fewer opportunities for advancement both prior to and after giving birth to their children. They also reported that they received little support before and after their pregnancies and received lower salaries than their male peers. The women also reported being afraid to report the discrimination that they experienced.
In addition to the harm to the physicians, the authors also found that patient care is adversely affected as well. While patients who are treated by female doctors have readmission and mortality rates that are lower, the doctors reported that their recommendations were sometimes disregarded.
Workplace gender discrimination is prohibited under state and federal law. Despite these prohibitions, it unfortunately continues to be a problem. People who believe that they have received unequal treatment at their jobs based on their gender or pregnancy status might benefit by talking to experienced employment law attorneys who may help to guide their clients through the complaint process. If the employers ignore the complaints, fail to do anything about them, or retaliate against the people for complaining, the attorneys may then assist their clients with filing discrimination claims with the appropriate state or federal agency.