And this is basically what my entire blog is about…

Many, many thanks to Dhruv Khullar, physician-researcher-writer, for this (finally!) painfully true yet refreshingly validating New York Times Op-Ed titled Being a Doctor is Hard. It’s Harder for Women.

He (yes, he’s a he) reviews the statistics and scientific evidence showing all the different ways it’s harder, from gender bias, salary inequality, and discrimination (for more on that topic, see my last blog post: Us, Too) to under- representation in senior and administrative positions, to greater burden of childcare/ housework, as well as markedly increased risk of depression and suicide:

“Female physicians are more than twice as likely to commit suicide as the general population. They earn significantly less than their male colleagues. They’re less likely to advance to full professorships — even after controlling for productivity — and they account for only one-sixth of medical school deans and department chairs.”

Now, I am aware that on my own home front and in my own academic medical practice, I am enjoying a much, much better situation than many of my female colleagues across the country and the globe. I am lucky (and I chose well): My husband is an equal partner in all things, my clinic is supportive, and my institution is progressive.

But it’s still hard, harder than it should be. And I am appreciative that this truth is getting told.