Men In Gynecology: Patients’ Rights Versus Doctor Roles
By Fabusiwa Toluwalase
A heated discussion with over 444,000 likes recently blew up on platform X (formerly known as twitter) after a post declared, "Men shouldn't be anywhere near gynecology." Many found the sentiment extreme, yet the substantial number of likes suggests it resonated with a significant audience. How did we get to this point?
The debate commenced with a medical student detailing his obstetrics and gynecology rotation on X, revealing that four out of ten female patients requested male students to leave the room. The online responses to his experience were divided; some accused him of exhibiting male entitlement, while others labeled it discrimination against male students.
The controversy escalated when a prominent doctor on X chimed in, proclaiming that patients at public hospitals have no right to privacy or to choose their attending medical personnel. Wild, I know—but he didn’t stop there. In a contentious comparison, he equated the removal of male students due to patient preference with racism, stating that he would not comply with racial biases so why adhere to gender-based requests. It was at this point I realized that the commenters were all just pretending not to know the difference.
Let’s not act like we don’t know why some women prefer female doctors or don’t want male medical students in the room. The issue goes beyond preference – it's a matter of trust, worsened by unfortunate reports of unprofessional conduct by some male medical professionals.
I'll give an example, a lecturer once told us a story from his clinical days. A young woman came in for a breast lump check, and the male students were practically giddy, hoping to be the one called up to carry out the examination. But when the next patient, an older woman, came in, their enthusiasm vanished! That story stuck with me because it’s exactly the kind of behavior that makes women uneasy. That said, bad experiences aren’t limited to male doctors. Everyone’s experience is different, but the discomfort some women feel around male practitioners is real, and we can’t just ignore it.
In an unexpected twist, feedback from female medical students and doctors revealed many had reservations about entering the field of OB-GYN themselves. Why? Some found it too messy, while others said the trauma of witnessing childbirth was enough to put them off. One post claimed these women were displaying internalized misogyny, which might not be far fetched, but still, it was sad to witness.
Seeking clarity, we conducted a survey among female medical students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, regarding their perspectives on pursuing OB-GYN specialties. Here’s what was gathered from the survey:
All respondents were acquainted with the OB-GYN field.
25% believed there is adequate female representation;75% disagreed and feel women are underrepresented.
Participants pointed out several reasons why they might avoid OB-GYN*:
75% said work-life balance is a major concern.
56.3% mentioned the physical demands of the job.
37.5% said there’s a lack of role models or mentors in the field.
18.8% pointed to gender bias and stereotypes.
6.3% said they’re uncomfortable with the “messy” nature of the work.
Another 6.3% said they couldn’t think of any reasons not to pursue it.
Most respondents (81.3%) hadn’t personally noticed or experienced challenges for women in OB-GYN. However, 18.8% said they had.
When asked if they would consider specializing in OB-GYN, 69.7% said yes, while 31.3% said no.
So, where do we go from here?
I don’t think the answer is kicking men out of OB-GYN altogether, but I do think medical training needs to go beyond just clinical skills. Ethical training is a must. Medical students—regardless of gender—need to learn how to respect patients’ boundaries and approach matters with sensitivity. It's a delicate act of balancing the provision of learning opportunities for all genders with the maintenance of patient comfort and trust.
This is a conversation that’s not going away anytime soon, but one thing’s clear: we need to do better at addressing these concerns, for both patients and future doctors.
*Note that respondents were allowed to have more than one reason.