a curious observation about gender

[jennandtonic]

My ortho is a woman, and I was recommended to her by my male dentist. I never even thought of gender stereotypes in the medical profession because I've been lucky to have male and female doctors, and male and female nurses, who are great.

However, my ortho does have an article on her wall where she was interviewed about gender stereotypes. In it, she says she started out with her practice in the '70s, and when she graduated she was the ONLY female orthodontist in her graduating class, and it was a little hard to get started because of it. However, she built up her practice and she's pretty darn good.

[lillibut]

My ortho and my dentist are women. Girl power

[susieq182]

All my docs are men. and most have female assistants other then my neurologist. he has a few other guys working in his office. the only doc that i would prefer was a female is my gyno, but there was no way i was going to sit around on a waiting list (undetermined amount of time) just to see the only female gyno in town.

[gunter8888]

Frankly I prefer women in health care. My general practitioner is a woman and I when I began searching for a new dentist and an orthodontist I looked for women. Unfortunately, out of dozens of orthodontists on my insurance and within 15 miles of my home or office none were women. I could only find one female dentist in the area and she was a little out of the way for me.

Generally speaking, I think women are better listeners, more compassionate and more gentle; all of which really improve healthcare - IMO.

I should add that my current ortho embodies all of those traits and is a man.

[thesallymonster]

Both my ortho and my general denstist are male with female staff. My doctor is female, though.

I think people are indoctrinated into traditional gender roles and stereotypes as children. Especially by the media. I think things are slowly improving, however, as more women enter math and science fields.

[ChangingBraces]

My last two dentist have been women. My ortho is a woman. I prefer female healthcare providers. They seem more willing to listen. When I had to find another dentist I asked my ortho for suggestions. She asked man or woman. I chose woman.

Mike

I feel that way too...my 2 favorite dentists were women. They were just really sweet. They were actually student dentists & it was cool to look around the University & see so many women becoming dentists
However, the ones who went on to do ortho were mostly male!

Not to stereotype, but based on my experiences I feel that male doctors are too quick to "dismiss" you. They think you are just being emotional. I also prefer healthcare providers who talk more so I feel informed, & the women tend to talk more.

My ortho is mostly surrounded by women, with one male assistant. Ironically though, the male assistant is the nicest, most gentle one there.

[maple]

Hi all ,
Thank you for your stories and reflections. It's interesting to hear what is going on around the world with the gender issue. I just want to report that my previous and only female dentist I've had, is now a chief of dentistry department at a large teaching hospital. She sees patients, teaches and she has a large administrative role. She also has two kids.

I am looking forward to see who the next US president will be...

[KatK]

I noticed this about my ortho too, and thought it was pretty amusing. My ortho is an older male.. been practicing for 30+ years... the rest of the staff are youngish assistants! But they are all great. However, my dentist is a woman and when I had my wisdom teeth out, my OS was a woman also.......