Counter-Arguments: The Role Of Women In Medicine

Counter-Arguments While the previous section provided concrete evidence to showcase the obstacles women in medicine are currently facing, there is also literature that suggests the opposite. Not all women have a difficult time succeeding at carrying out multiple roles as a mother, wife, and doctor. McMurray’s study revealed that when compared to their coworkers with one or no children, female physicians with three children were “more happy, more stable in their specialties, and more likely to once again become a physician if given the chance”. However, a separate survey of female physicians in the United States observed that despite the overall high degree of career satisfaction, about one-third of the women indicated that they “might not” or “definitely would not” choose to be a physician again if given the chance (Robinson). The authors suggested that these high levels of career satisfaction were due to the lower job expectations projected onto women which discouraged them from expressing any true feelings of unhappiness they may actually be experiencing. Positive trends have also been seen in marriages among physicians. When compared to non-physicians, modern-day physicians are actually more likely to get married and less …show more content…
According to Perlman and colleagues, doctors in dual-physician relationships experience greater levels of marital satisfaction and intimacy because their partner is able to understand the specific demands and difficulties within the medical profession. These couples were extremely coordinated and proactive when managing their careers and families and noted that communication with one another was an essential component of their success in dealing with both of their complex and demanding lifestyles. Further research should be done to determine whether this may be the key to successful marriages among