Women’s issues in the 2016 presidential election: impact on women in medicine

This year women’s issues are at the forefront of the United States presidential election. Hillary Clinton, the presumed democratic candidate, and her supporters are asking women to vote for her because she is a woman. Additionally, when Hillary raises her voice, she is described as “yelling,” but when Bernie Sanders raises his voice, he is considered assertive. Articles about Hillary often comment on her hairstyle and clothes. Have you ever read anything about Bernie’s hairstyle or clothes? Finally, in the last few months, we have been warned that there is a special place in hell for women who do not help, or vote, for other women. On the Republican side, Donald Trump inadvertently has brought women’s issues front and center by making statements about breastfeeding at work (described by him as “disgusting”), commenting on the appearance of a competing female candidate, a candidate’s wife, and newscasters, and stating he would date his own child if she were not his daughter. As a child of the 1950s and 1960s, I am horrified how little we have advanced our cause! Recently, while still chairperson of the Dermatology Department at the University of Connecticut Health Center, I had a difference of opinion with another chairperson at my university.When I assertedmyself, he toldme not to be so “emotional.” His choice of words was specifically selected and represented a classic male technique to diminish me and my point of view. The fact that sexism is still present at work and has infiltrated this year’s political scene to this extent really is quite shameful. I had hoped and assumed we had advanced our status to the point where we were taken seriously and considered equals. Apparently, I was wrong. We have advanced to the point where an African American has become President of the USA, which is admirable, but what about representation by one of the 50% of the population who are female? Not even a vice president has been female in the USA, whereas