Dr. Akanksha Jaiswal
While the disturbing history of James Marion Sims and his infamous experiments deserve their own space, the low representation of women among big names in medicine and healthcare history has not been given the attention it is due. The bias has dragged into the 21st century after little improvement- women are a sizeable part of the healthcare workforce but hardly show up in leadership positions around the world , according to this article : http://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/gender-health-system-leadership-increasing-womens-representation-at-the-top/
This bias is not just numbers and statistics: it affects how health policies are made around the world. Take for instance, the lack of better policy efforts to make menstrual hygiene products more accessible to every woman: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/why-the-debate-on-menstrual-health-in-india-needs-to-go-beyond-the-pad-tax/articleshow/59612542.cms , or the raging debates about abortion access and reproductive rights in the US . To aspiring women health professionals, it also means fewer role models to look up to and learn from.
