Women transforming medicine: equity for better healthcare

While women have been healers and caregivers throughout history, their formal contributions to medicine have faced systemic obstacles. Despite recent strides in female medical school enrollment, gender disparities persist in leadership, research, and career advancement.
Women have played pivotal roles in medicine since ancient Egypt and Greece where figures like Isis, Hygeia, and Panacea were revered. Midwifery and home-based healthcare were primarily managed by women for centuries, though they were rarely recognized as professionals.

The mid-19th century witnessed a pivotal moment for women in medicine with the unlikely heroine, Elizabeth Blackwell. Despite her admittance to Geneva College’s medical school in New York being initially intended as a prank, it became a watershed event. In 1849, Blackwell defied the odds and shattered barriers, becoming the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States.
The late 19th century saw the American Medical Association reform medical schools, implementing more rigorous educational standards, extended training, and increased tuition costs. While well- intended, these changes had the unintended consequence of hindering women’s access to medical education. As a result, women comprised a mere 6% of US physicians in 1910, a statistic that remained tragically stagnant for the following 50 years.

However, a shift has been underway: 2017 marked a historic first, with women outnumbering men in medical school matriculation. This momentum continued, and in 2019, women became the majority of US medical students. While the number of women in healthcare is growing, their presence in leadership positions and research output lags behind. Globally, women represent only around 47% of the healthcare workforce compared to 72% for men, with a wider gap existing in some countries.

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