I went to high school and college at the height of the women’s liberation movement, in the 1970s. We knew that sexism was a problem—but we were solving it.Article continues after advertisement
My father, the center of our household, encouraged me to become a doctor. I was the eldest, and the golden child in our family. I did my best to please him, graduating at the top of my class and followed in his footsteps to become an academic.
I became a decorated Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon and cancer researcher, recognized for making advancements in the field, and publishing my work in the most prestigious medical journals. My father promised me: if you were the best, you got ahead in life.
The ambitious young woman I was would be proud of the work I do today. But she’d have no idea of the outsized role gender would play in her professional life.
Sexism in science and medicine isn’t always obvious—but it’s not a level playing field.
