WOMEN IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Women in the Medical Field

Carolina Lucero
University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1302

WOMEN IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

The number of women in the medical field has risen in the last couple of decades.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 80% of all the workers in the health care
system are women. The numbers look quite promising when looked in a broader prospective but
upon doing further research, it is clear that the number is not promising at all when talking about
the total number of women in the physician population and other leadership roles within the
medical field. Though some might claim that gender equality has been reached in the medical
workspace, data shows that women go through sexual harassment, gender bias, and discrepancies
in both salary and leadership positions. All of that forms an obstacle for women to grow and
show their true potential within their career. This issue is analyzed in two genres that support the
fact that gender equality is far from being reached. Doctor Jessica Freedmans article Women
in Medicine: Are we There yet? brings awareness to gender bias and sexual harassment
against women in the workplace. The second genre is a Kings Fund interview, Vijaya Nath in
conversation with Clare Marx, a female president of Royal College of Surgeons, she talks about
her personal experience in the workspace, the challenges that women face in medicine and what
can be done to overcome these challenges. These genres and their impact to the main issue will
be discussed throughout the analysis.
Audience and Purpose
The first genre, Jessica Freedmans Women in Medicine: Are we There yet?, is an article
written in November 16, 2010. The purpose of this article is to bring awareness to the gender
bias and sexual harassment against women in the medical field. The second genre is an interview
conducted in November of 2015 by The Kings Fund to Clare Marx. The purpose of this

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interview is to persuade both men and women in the medical field to stand up against the
injustices women go through in their workplace.
The intended audience for Jessica Freedmans article is a more mature audience ranging from
young adults to seniors who are interested in gender equality issues and who are possibly but not
necessarily part of the healthcare system. In Clare Marxs interview the targeted audience is
women in the medical field but she also targets men by calling them out and encouraging them to
stand beside women to fight the issue. In the first genre, readers dont have to know much about
the subject for the writer is very thorough with the information she presents by explaining every
obstacle and backing it up with statistics and some personal experiences. On the other hand, the
second genres audience does need to know some information about what its like to work in the
medical field.
The genres differ in the amount of time it takes to cover the information and get the point
across. Jessica Freedman is very thorough and provides a wide variety of examples and statistics
for every obstacle. The article is five pages long and it would take a long time to read through, so
the reader must be very interested in the subject in order to read all of it. The second genre is a
six minute long interview but the interviewer is brief and concise in presenting the facts and
solutions to the problem. The video is not too long but depending in how interested the viewer is
on the subject, they might or might not go through the entire video.
The purpose in both genres is to inform their audiences of the obstacles women face in their
medical working space, however the way they present the information is quite different. The first
genre, the article, is structured in a very formal manner. The text mostly consists of facts and
statistics, for example A 1993 survey of internal medicine residents, for example, found that
73% of the women reported having been sexually harassed at least once during their training

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compared with 22% of them ( Freedman, 2010) . The text is professional and informative but
not too sophisticated that a common reader that isnt in the medical field wont be able to
understand. The vocabulary used by the writer is focused on describing each obstacle at hand. It
uses some data and statistics collected by the US Census Bureau, missions established by Yale
School of Medicine, studies conducted by the American Medical Association, and very limited
testimonies from some of her colleagues and herself. Some very specialized vocabulary used
emphasize the severity of the subject and get the word across would be words such as gender
bias, discrimination, disrespectful/punitive actions, sexual harassment, stereotypical feminine
ways, advancement obstacles, amongst other negative words. The font of the writing is simple
and there are no visuals in the page or exotic colors. The second genre is also informative but its
main focus is to persuade the viewers to get involved and make change happen. The language
used throughout the interview is very formal, professional, and persuasive. Clare Marx doesnt
use statistics to support her points, but she mainly uses personal experiences in hopes of getting
the viewer to relate and connect with what she is talking about. She uses words such as true
equality, empowered, together, support, among other words to move and encourage her audience.
Clare Marx throughout her interview also repeatedly points out that people must go out and
speak about it (The Kings Fund: Marx, 2015) in other to make change happen. The interview
setting is brightly lit and serene.
Rhetorical Issues
Both genres exhibit rhetorical appeals in a way that helps present the issue at hand.

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Ethos
In the first genre, the writer uses information gathered from the US Census Bureau, Yale
School of Medicine, and the American Medical Association. That establishes credibility for it
makes people aware that the information presented comes from credible and distinguished
sources. Jessica Freedman is also very clear to let the reader know that she is a doctor herself.
She provides a couple of examples using testimonies from some of her colleagues and herself.
That adds even more credibility to her arguments because who better to tell you about an issue
than someone who has personally gone through it. In the second genre, Clara Marxs title and
profession are very clearly stated. She is not only a doctor but she is also the current female
president of the Royal College of Surgeons, and that alone gives her a lot of credibility. Clara
provides her personal testimony of some obstacles she has encountered and what has helped her
get through them. Her credibility was re-enforced by her offering certain solutions to help
combat gender inequality based on what she has seen throughout her years of experience
working in the medical field.
Pathos
The article didnt used much emotional appeal. It was more strictly focused on providing facts
and statistics, however, at the end the writer did provide some testimonies of gender bias and
sexual harassment from her colleagues and herself. She mentions how she stayed quiet because
she, like many women, felt that it would impact their career and wouldnt bring any benefits. You
can see this as a way of her trying to connect with the reader not only by providing facts and
statistics but by also reaching out to all those other women who have gone through the same
experiences as her. The second genre, the interview, had a lot of emotional appeal. Throughout
the interview, Clara Marx tried to reach out to the intended audience in order to get them to stand

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up for gender equality. She calls out both males and females, promising that by joining her
movement, not only will it benefit women but also males in the medical field. Clara Marx
constantly urges her viewers to stand up and speak in order to encourage the new medical
students and make them feel empowered. Clara Marx points out that we need to explain that
women can fit in to this career and that it is possible to succeed and that we will be with them
on their journey ( The Kings Fund: Marx, 2015). Her statements help persuade the viewers who
are perhaps going through an injustice but are not sure about speaking up about it. The viewer
will feel more reassured and inspired to fight for equality, knowing that they are not alone and
there is someone out there looking out for them and supporting them.
Logos
The first genre used logos throughout the article, maintaining a very professional and
informative appeal to the audience. Each argument was backed up by surveys and statistics taken
from the US Census Bureau, Yale School of Medicine, and the American Medical Association.
The evidence is reliable because it is taken from credible sources. In the second genre, claims are
not supported by scientific evidence or studies, but they are supported by the personal
experiences of Doctor Clara Marx.
Structure and Delivery
The way the information was organized varied. The opening paragraph in the first genre
grasped the attention of the reader by talking about the common misconceptions of gender
equality in the medical field. The information was structured in such a way that even though
there were a lot of statistics and facts, the reader was able to follow along and not get confused
along the way. Also, at the top of the page there is a box where it lists the different topics and

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issues that the article is going to cover, giving the reader the freedom of clicking and choosing
which ever issue theyre more interested about learning. In the second genre, the interviewer gets
right to the point and asks Clara Marx about her experiences as a woman in medicine. Dr. Marx
is brief and concise, answering every question in the least time possible and keeping the viewers
interested in the topic.
Conclusion
Overall, both genres were able to bring awareness to the main topic. The first genre was a lot
more informative than the second genre. The first genre relied more on statistics and surveys
from credible sources in order to discuss the main topic, but the second genre strayed away from
statistics and focused more on personal testimonies and emotional appeal, perhaps relating more
with the intended audience. Each genre was able to raise awareness of gender inequality against
women in the medical field. Although the number of women in the medical field has increased
during the last couple of decades, gender equality is far from being reached, and these two genres
bring up the issue in hopes of making change happen.

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REFERENCES
Freedman Jessica ( 2010). Women in medicine: Are we There yet?
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/732197_4
The Kings Fund (2015). Vijaya Nath in conversation with Clare Marx.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlDu_TFCcHg