Of Course! It Must Be All That Estrogen Coursing Through Our Veins
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I’m honestly not sure if it’s my red hair or just the fact that I’m a woman who speaks her mind, but there’s something bigoted afoot and I’m having none of it.
THE STUDY
I shared an article this week from JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) conducted by Harvard and USC, that shows female physicians make significantly less than their male counterparts:
In the late 1980s, male physicians earned $33,840, or 20 percent, more in annual salary than their female counterparts. By the late 2000s, that grew to a 25.3 percent gap, a difference of $56,019 per year. The same trends showed up among dentists and physician assistants, but not pharmacists or health insurance executives. (Women account for almost 50% of US medical students and more than one-third of all physicians.)
The study was conducted from 1987 to 2010 and considered specialties. Read more if you want specifics.
THE REACTION
Comments across my social media range from (all men, mind you):
Maybe women need to work a little harder.
In order to make the same pay, you have to do the same work.
Just female propaganda.
More whining by feminists.
Call me idealistic or just plain naive, but WHAT THE FUCK? Seriously, how can men still believe this? ‘Do the same work?‘ So did the females not go to, and graduate from, the same medical schools as their male counterparts? I’m stumped. Is there a different, remedial Harvard Med School just for women?
It shocked me, and I’m still seething. Must be all that dreaded estrogen coursing through my veins.
INSIDER KNOWLEDGE
Or maybe it’s because I was in the pharma industry for over fifteen years, calling on both male and female physicians — I saw firsthand the long hours they work, the sacrifices they make to their personal lives for their patients, the lack of funding from insurance companies — all in the name of their career of helping people. Yes, it’s still a male-dominated industry, but that is changing. And no, the females I saw weren’t OB/GYNs or pediatricians — typically female specialties (I sold blood pressure meds). The majority were cardiologists, endocrinologists, and internists, typically male specialties now being taken on by competent and highly-trained females doing the same work.
THE ASSUMPTIONS
The assumptions these guys made about women astounded me. One fella, whom I really like quite a bit and wasn’t being a jerk about it, explained that ‘maybe women earn less because they’re making greater sacrifices for their family — working less hours,’ and that’s possible. Though I feel that’s a generalization, given that men now have a much greater hand in child rearing than ever before, and many of my female physicians were breadwinners. I did see where he was going with that, but wouldn’t that be discriminatory, also?
A $50,000+ wage gap is significant. Sure, we’re talking doctors here, so everyone knows they’re rich. Ha. Most doctors have huge student loans to pay off, families to raise, tuition to pay for, or perhaps no family or spouse because of the demands of the job — no different than most of our, or any, educated population.
So why should women be earning less? Is that Head of Cardiology at Hoag Hospital (Orange County’s largest hospital), with her Harvard-educated hands in someone’s chest daily, less qualified because she has a vagina? Is her brain smaller and less able to handle a high degree of difficulty because of the estrogen coursing through her veins? Does she deserve to earn less because her breasts get in the way of her doing her job?
OF COURSE NOT.
I feel sad for men who still, in this modern day, think women are inferior. I don’t know if it’s because of their upbringing, religious and/or political beliefs, or some deep seated Freudian hatred for women, in particular of women who are more successful than they are. And maybe that’s the issue: it’s about that fragile male ego. Women in the workforce push society forward, while men like that continue to (unsuccessfully) attempt to hold us back. It’s offensive and hardly worth arguing over.
MY CONCLUSION
But we must speak up for ourselves, my female friends. We absolutely must argue. And we thankfully have the support of many more enlightened men who, like me, are offended and astounded by the bigotry in these comments. These men give me hope for a future that doesn’t look at male or female, politics, religion, or skin color, but that looks for the best.
Simply, the best.
What is your conclusion? I’d love to hear.
Want to sample eight bestselling authors’ books before buying? Check out this sample from #HerBooks. If you like, you buy the individual books — if not, it’s a cheap download! 
I’m thrilled to announce that my latest release, Broken Pieces, won FIRST PLACE in the eFestival of Words Awards and Gold in the Global eBook Awards. So exciting. Head over to Amazon to read a free sample (no Kindle required).
Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to my blog and you’ll never miss my weekly posts! Just enter your email address over on the right hand side of this page >>>>. It’s easy, and I won’t share your email address with anyone. Redhead’s honor.
Need personalized help? Check out my BadRedheadMedia.com services page. *New feature: ads! No more than 8-10 per month on each of my blogs. See Advertising for details!*
