‘Can I Talk to a Doctor?’ Women Physicians Face a Gender — And Fashion — Bias

In a scene from the summer blockbuster Barbie, Ken asks, “Can I talk to a doctor?” A female physician responds, “You are talking to a doctor.”It had theaters globally laughing raucously. But I’ve spent some time wondering what the inclusion of this scene could mean for the medical industry.

If we analyze it more closely, Ken approaches a female senior doctor dressed in dark blue scrubs with a black stethoscope around her neck. But he then runs off to greet a male doctor with a white lab coat on. 

If we just take this scene at the surface level (leaving aside gender discrimination for the moment), these few seconds of screen time highlight a general issue with identifying physicians: There’s been a shift in the last 20 years regarding physician’s apparel. It used to be a lab coat and formal attire — but now scrubs, casual attire and fleece jackets have gained popularity for nurses and surgeons alike. 

However, 44% of patients in a study believed doctors should wear formal attire with a white coat, and a further 26% said scrubs with a white coat. Understanding this public perception of physician apparel can inform interventions from institutions to combat role confusion and source adequate clothing. 

But the Barbie scene also reflects a miserable reality for female physicians: Although they are the backbone of our health care systems, accounting for 70% of the health and care workforce worldwide, they continue to grapple with salary disparities, gender-based discrimination, harassment and role misidentification throughout the entirety of their careers. 

When I entered the health care industry 12 years ago as a physician, I immediately felt these remnants of this world traditionally run solely by men. It’s no secret that if a male is in the room, patients will automatically refer to them as the doctor. It’s also not unusual for an older male patient to ask for a male doctor or more “senior” physician. Studies back this up: One examined the impact of various uniforms on patients and found that female models were perceived as less professional than male models. Women were also often misidentified as medical technicians, physician assistants or nurses. 

These biases and everyday sexism put female physicians under more stress to prove themselves, leading to cumulative career disadvantages, hindering progression and impacting mental health. 

And there’s more. For years, an overarching problem across many industries has been explored on screen, including in Legally Blonde. An intelligent woman is often presumed to lack physical attractiveness. But if a woman is beautiful and youthful, colleagues and patients alike assume they didn’t earn their position.

This is both fascinating and concerning. To better understand this, I conducted a market study and interviewed more than 100 physicians to gauge medical apparel needs and the different perspectives of men and women (before launching my own medical apparel fashion line). It was clear that men wanted uniforms that fit well and led to outstanding performance, but not necessarily to be recognized as physicians — a privilege they have from the moment they walk into a room. Instead, they wanted clothing that helped them be perceived as the best. Women, on the other hand, wanted high-quality, protective uniforms for one reason: to be immediately recognized as a physician.

Tackling these misidentification problems and addressing gender bias is not only critical to improving patient outcomes but can positively impact female physicians’ health.  

Barbie, as a toy and cultural icon,  may be criticized for encouraging unrealistic beauty standards, but she was a statement for girls that they could be everything and anything they wanted to be — even in any male-dominated profession — even if they were young and beautiful.

It’s the message we continue telling women today in the medical industry. Just because there’s a lack of female representation on boards, as speakers or in leadership positions doesn’t mean it is out of reach. We need to normalize women working as hospital general managers and area chiefs using various uniforms while also bearing patient preferences in mind. To achieve that, it’s also a matter of updating outdated marketing material from various health care institutions to increase the visibility of female physicians in all their forms and change public perception.

Dr. Carolina Hernandez is a physician, clinical epidemiologist and holds a master’s degree in business administration. She’s ranked among the top five Colombian doctors for the national medical board exams. She has also managed programs and businesses in large corporations, such as Johnson & Johnson. Hernández is the CEO and founder of Colorchain, a sustainable medical apparel brand that creates medical textiles such as robes and uniforms.