Empowering Women Not To Shy Away From The Top Occupations In The Medical Field Regardless of Gender Bias And Discrimination.
Gender discrimination did not start today. Its roots can be traced as far back as the young age of an African woman or any woman for that matter
In the African family, boys were often picked to attend school over girls; who were expected to handle domestic chores and manual labor, get married, and generally take care of the house. For a girl, attending school was a big deal, it would even make the news.
In high school, combinations subjects such as PCM (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) and PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) were not considered to be for girls; such disciplines were set apart for boys, whilst girls were expected to go for History and Linguistics subjects, of which, in the society’s perception, appeared feminine and of less prestige.
Considering the statistics, it was no surprise when Dr. Neema Machumu, A medical doctor and public health specialist at MDH (Management and Development of Health) elaborated on a gender bias in the medical related field such as the Orthopaedics unit.
She said that high skilled medical fields are usually associated with men, and it’s not believed that women can run them.
“People don’t believe that a woman can be an orthopaedic surgeon, because it’s tough work and all. So, if you are one or you want to pursue one, people would be like “why would you do that?” you are not a man. But there are women who pursue that and there are women out there who are Orthopaedics surgeon.”
Can’t women fit in such professions? Why is it that such high skilled professions in the medical field have been pinned down by society to be masculine? Also, is that really the case?
Violet Lupondo, Senior Orthopaedic and Trauma surgeon in Tanzania is proof that such positions can definitely be occupied by women. After changing her decision from pilot, to engineering then eventually joining medical school, Violet Lupondo, is the second Female Orthopaedics & Trauma Surgeon in Tanzania and the first locally trained Female Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgeon from the University of Dar es Salama Faculty of Medicine. (WISA 2019)
Dr. Neema Machumu advises young women pursuing a career in the medical field to believe in themselves. And that they should be inspired and set the bar higher than where they’ve been setting since there’s more room for women to join the field.
Even though Dr. Neema Machumu applied for the private medical field to no success she was eventually accepted as a medical doctor and public health specialist at MDH (Management and Development of Health)
“I got a job in MDH where I’ve been working on projects related to HIV, TB, Malaria, Family planning, and Cervical Cancer Screening for women as well. I’ve been working with them (MDH) for 4.5 years.”
The Management and Development for Health (MDH) is a non-profit Tanzanian public health organisation that focuses primarily on public health service, education, and research in the United Republic of Tanzania. It seeks to advance the public health and health care interests of the people of Tanzania through collaboration with the Government of Tanzania, Non Governmental Institutions, Academic Institutions, and the private sector.
When it comes to gender bias, MDH occasionally performs outreach to the community during world Aids day, gender-based violence week.
“We create awareness for the people, starting from the office level, going out to the facility and community level.” Said Dr. Machumu. “We believe as time goes on people will get to be aware of these things (gender discrimination and gender bias) and I am sure eventually it will just go down.”
she further explained. She believes that the gender bias issue starts with an individual
“If an individual behaves in a different manner, he or she will lead by example for the whole community to follow. And if the whole community will follow then the whole world will follow. It will be a good picture for everyone to follow. And later on, we will be accepting the differences that people have and value them and celebrate them.”
To eliminate it, she says, it needs to be tackled on an individual level. To the aspiring women in the medical field, or the young women aspiring to climb the medical ladder, you have what it takes to make it regardless of the bias in the society
Dr. Neema Machumu, Dr. Angela Paul Muhozya, and Violet Lupondo are just a few of the many women who have broken the gender barrier. So, step out into the medical field and make a change.
About HEBO Consult
HEBO Consult is project management consulting firm that helps businesses, organizations, and individuals get the right skills, tools, and frameworks to successfully execute projects. Whether through consulting or training, we are committed to bringing you the right strategies, skillset, and mindset to turn your ideas into the best reality possible.
