An inappropriate joke or outdated phrase may not at first appear to be harmful. However, language holds power, and some female medical professionals are asking their colleagues to evaluate the language they use to ensure it is respectful and inclusive.
A group of medical professionals authored a paper published Jan. 26 in the British Medical Journal asking colleagues to reflect on their language and potential sexist tropes ingrained within it. They used the example of the phrase "gas girl" to refer to a female anaesthetist. While this piece of slang may seem harmless and fun on the surface, it's indicative of a wider culture that belittles and detracts from women's accomplishments.
"This language is infantilizing and patronizing as it detracts from hard-earned professional qualifications and abilities and is rooted in gendered language which serves to belittle and exclude women. This is not just a matter of semantics, but has tangible implications on women’s careers, for language impacts how individuals think about themselves and others," the authors wrote.
They also argue that while the alliteration of "gas girl" may be catchier than "gas woman," it is also telling that "gas guy," also alliterative, hasn't been popularized over "gas man."
When evaluating broader gender biases in the field, such language becomes all the more detrimental. In 2019, a study published in JAMA Network Open found wide-ranging implicit bias among medical professionals, with both men and women surveyed strongly associating men with career and women with family. Another 2012 study published in the Social Studies of Science looked at healthcare scientists and found women reported experiencing many instances of discrimination or microaggressions. One woman described it as hard to pinpoint each individual act as overt sexism, but these subtle acts built up to undermine their confidence.
Efforts have been made to correct some of these outdated constructs. For example, in October 2021 the American Medical Association released a language guide to encourage the transition toward more equitable, inclusive language in the healthcare field. More health systems are also recognizing the importance of inclusivity to health equity.
The BMJ article ends, "Given the impacts of infantilizing language, and the wider context of sexism in healthcare, we ask all colleagues to reflect on their language at work — we are women, not girls."