Tow #15--“A
Fix for Gender Bias in Health Care? Check” by Jessica Nordell
It’s not hard to see that there
is a gap between men and women in society. It wasn’t until 1920 that women
could vote and, even now, women get paid less than men, are expected to stay home
to watch the children, and take on the household duties. In hospitals, this gap
is also occurring, not only among the employees, but the patients as well. In
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, 45% of women who could have been cured
died of preventative blood clots. In men, the percentage was only 31. This was
not due to the treatment they received but the way they received it. Doctors
seemed to be more careless and non-attentive to women, favoring men. However,
as the article presents, the hospital came up with a check list, resulting in
less deaths and no gender imbalance.
Nordell keeps her tone light and
informative. Since her subject contains controversial material, such as the
gender roles, this tone could have easily turned to anger, revenge, or even
fear. She, however, uses phrases such as “It’s not clear what causes these
differences” and “unintentionally” to show that, although she is a woman
herself, she does not harbor anger. Her article is about how this difference
between men and women can be lessened, not about why it is caused. Her lack of
anger draws in a larger audience and keeps both women and men reading.
Personally, I have read a lot of articles about women’s rights and, as a woman
myself, I am turned away by the over-emotionally and rage-filled tone. I am
sure men, feeling attacked, do not engage with the article either. Nordell’s
approach stays focused on the medicine, keeping her audience happy and
intrigued.
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