Written By: Annica Azad
July 27, 2022
One aspect of the pharmacy profession that makes me incredibly proud is how female dominated it is. In a male dominated world, we have a profession in STEM that is not only majority female but also one where female leaders make decisions and lead conversations. However, at a pharmacy I worked at previously, I noticed even in a profession where it is majority women, men and women are treated differently by patients. I do not understand why, if men and women must pass the same classes and licensing exams, some patients seem to instantly treat a male pharmacist better and somehow assume that he is more intelligent or better at his job than his female counterpart?
I noticed patients would trust the male pharmacist more and see him as more capable of resolving their issues. When the female pharmacist could not fix an issue, instead of giving her more time to work on it, the patient would instead tell her “don’t worry, the male pharmacist got it”. Additionally, I noticed how people would treat each pharmacist differently if they made a mistake. They were quicker to get upset with the female pharmacist and to insult her out of anger. Additionally, while I have not seen this personally, I have had male peers working as interns and technicians share multiple instances where patients have assumed they were the pharmacist even when they were not wearing a white coat and a female pharmacist wearing a white coat was right beside them.
As a young woman entering the pharmacy field I wonder sometimes if I too will experience being treated differently from my male counterparts. I already experience being called “sweetie” and “honey” by patients and while these may be seen as simply compliments, I wonder if these expressions may be a part of why I may be treated as lesser than a man when I do become a pharmacist. My male peers have never shared instances where they have been called names like these. And I wonder, when the time comes, will I be taken seriously? Will I be seen as knowledgeable or as being too young, inexperienced and too soft?
I find myself presenting myself differently. I project my voice more and try to sound stronger and more confident. I approach patients myself and try to solve their problems smoothly, not only because I want to be a good intern but also because I want to be seen as a capable and confident pharmacist one day, and that begins with practice. However, I wonder if this is fair to me — I am doing these things not only because I want to be an excellent pharmacist but also because I fear that I will be treated differently by my patients because of attributes that are not in my hands. These fears drive me to try to be an even better pharmacist than my male counterparts.
It is necessary to figure out how to make sure everyone sees professionals as equal, regardless of their sex. While women make up over 60% of pharmacy school graduates, in my experience, patients continue to view men as more capable or intelligent and this is unacceptable. It is not our responsibility to present ourselves differently due to preconceived notions people have; neither is it something we should have to worry about. Going forward, I hope to see a change in attitudes and expect that, in the future, young women going into pharmacy will not experience the same feelings I and other women do. They must be judged on their performance and professionalism and not be brushed off because of their gender.