Numbers do not tell the whole story: gender and medicine in Portugal

Abstract

Despite a progressive increase in the number of women in medicine, gender inequalities remain. This article presents a study analyzing the gender dynamics of tokenism in the medical field in Portugal, through the experiences of male specialists in female areas and female specialists in male areas and through their strategies for coping with such situations. We conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with nine female doctors and eight male doctors aged between 32 and 62 years old. Results show the links between tokenism dynamics and gender asymmetry in medicine, putting female tokens at a disadvantage in relation to male tokens. Token positions occasionally produce gender arrangements but, all things considered, do not transform female and male positions either in the medical field or in the private sphere. We conclude that tokenism contributes to maintaining the gender social order.