Many reasons have been offered to explain the gap between the salaries of male and female physicians and scientists, between their levels of federal funding for research and their academic promotions. One pervasive problem has been overlooked. I call it “the invisible woman” problem.
In reality, female health care professionals are everywhere — women account for approximately 75 percent of hospital employees and health service managers, 50 percent of US medical school graduates, and 40 percent of the faculty of US medical schools. They hold positions at every level — including president, CEO, and other positions in the C-suite. Yet their names, faces, and voices are often not seen or heard.
Take a look, for example, at some of the annually published “best healthcare quotes lists.” Last year, Becker's Hospital Review published one called “On the record: 50 best healthcare quotes of 2015.” In the list, which was compiled by a woman, almost three-quarters of the quotes by individuals were from men. Although they were listed “in no particular order,” the top four quotes were from men. A similar list by Forbes, “The Most Important Healthcare Quotes of 2015,”included entries from 10 men and two women. Interestingly, the two women were part of a three-person quote that included a man. Thus, no woman was quoted individually with her own voice.
