A Study of Attitudes Toward Women Within the Health Care Industry and its Effect on Female Employment, Medical Treatment, and Research

In recent years, women\u27s issues have loomed to the forefront. Agendas with targets to address critical concerns of women evolve from the areas of employment, health, and medical treatment. The illumination of these disparities via currently available literature suggests that women are traditionally excluded systematically within health care and other industries. Wide diversity of employment has long been accompanied by considerable depth in terms of both the total labor force and the female population. The explosive increase in the number of women in the paid labor force has had a tremendous impact on our society. Whatever the reasons for this growth, it comes at a critical time. Steep competition in a global economy has challenged our nation\u27s capacity for efficient production. Today, there are vast numbers of women whose talents and capabilities are untapped. Women have traditionally been viewed as second class citizens even in terms of medical treatment and research. For example, as recently as the 1960s, faculty at our nation\u27s leading medical schools taught future physicians that all women should have their children between 18 and 25. Illnesses that women developed in their 30s and 40s, such as endometriosis, were seen as punishment for delaying or not having children. Furthermore, the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial examined mortality from coronary heart disease in over 12,000 men. The Health Professionals Follow-up Study looked at the association between coffee consumption and heart disease in 45,000 men. What about women? Despite these glaring disparities, efforts are now being currently addressed by politicians, the media, and medical community; progress is slowly being made. This paper will focus on female issues in terms of employment, medical treatment, and medical research within the health care industry. It will show the impact of health care professionals\u27 attitudes upon females attaining and sustaining employment, medical treatment, and research