Dear CoVID-19 is a weekly column provided by Drs. Rithesh and Veronique Ram
This week we had the opportunity to sit down with Premier Jason Kenney and chatted about CoVID, the economy, rural health care, and political leadership. No matter your political affiliation, these topics are complex and challenging, and Kenney was engaged and interested during our conversation. He was so enthusiastic to speak French with me that it was hard not to smile the whole time. I can’t imagine leading a Province during such complicated times; a time when economic shock has changed the way we think even about day-to-day activities.
We chatted about Dr. Deena Hinshaw and the amazing work she’s done overseeing the CoVID crisis. Not only is she a rural Albertan, from a solid farm family, but she’s proven the perfect Medical Officer of Health. I took a few minutes afterward to google what made her perfect, according to the media, and found the following: she’s been calm, compassionate, and collected at all times.
Inevitably, this led to a discussion with friends on female professionals and leaders. Why are professional women who show emotion when upset frowned upon when men are perceived as leaders for speaking up?
Indeed, tons of research suggests that women are under pressure to maintain a cool exterior, particularly in the workplace, if they want to get ahead; whereas men are rewarded for raising their voices and expressing big emotions. Women are quickly judged for lacking emotional control because we live in a world where discrimination continues to exist. We live in a world where women are often ignored, criticized, and bullied when they refuse to be quiet and passive.
In medicine, gender discrimination resounds loudly. As women in medicine, we keep our pregnancies quiet. Laugh at remarks made by senior male physicians about how “we look too good to be doctors.” We ignore comments made by colleagues that we won awards by giving favours. We stay silent when our hard-earned titles are ignored. Yep, I am constantly introduced as Mrs. Ram and my husband as Dr. Ram. Yet I have equal credentials (MD and a PhD). Why? Because men in medicine are judged by their accomplishments whereas we, as women, are judged on our attire and affiliations.
Yet emerging evidence suggests that female physicians listen to patients longer, interrupt them less, and may provide more cost-effective and patient-centred care. But hey, watch out for that little piece of emotion that might just make them human.
Dear CoVID-19 is a weekly column provided by Drs. Rithesh and Veronique Ram
