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"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time." Volume XxVII, Issue 1 — Ruth Bader Ginsburg Fall 2020 COVID-19’s Toll on Women in Healthcare The COVID-19 pandemic has who make up the majority of nurs- the Times. The Times also stated strained women in the medical es. These burdens are compounded that professionals have been told field physically, mentally and by the sheer number of patients. A to cover their mouths with ban- emotionally. According to the nurse told The New York Times, danas or coffee filters. Healthcare World Health Organization, the “Our hospital is taking on way workers, the majority of whom are healthcare work-force consists women, “are gambling their lives of about 60-80% women and every day,” says The Washington more than one-third of active Post, and hundreds have already physicians worldwide. Women died fighting to save others from outnumber men in the field COVID-19. three to one according to Trish “We get such a pushback that Joyce, of Health eCareers. sometimes you don’t feel like it’s Women often face specific chal- worth saying anything, because lenges during their jobs that nobody listens and nobody cares,” have worsened during the pan- said Charlene Carter, a night-shift demic. nurse at Research Medical Center. Stereotypes of women and “You want to stand up for what gender inequalities have now you know is right, but you know been exacerbated by the pan- you’re going to get reprimanded demic. MS Magazine recently somehow.” These women are published that women spend an physically exhausted from over- average of 8.5 additional hours working, mentally tired from hav- per week on domestic activities ing to live up to stereotypical than men. “These women also standards, and emotionally drained have a responsibility to take care more patients than we can handle.” from what they experience every of parents, who are older, and Another nurse in California wrote day. “We've had the unfortunate school-aged children. So, their to the Times saying, “We are being circumstance during this pandemic lives are enormously impacted by called to jeopardize our own health that a female physician committed worrying about elderly relatives and safety to treat our community. suicide…[physicians are] the num- and by school closures,” stated It is disgusting. I wish more atten- ber one occupation for suicide,” Nancy Nielsen, senior associate tion would be given to us on the said Dr. Niva Lubin-Johnson, dean for health policy at the Uni- front lines and the situation we CEO of Purple Health Founda- versity at Buffalo. Today, women face. We live in the richest country tion. The pandemic has increased in the medical field are expected in the world and yet we don’t have severe symptoms of depression, to do their jobs with additional the tools to perform our job safely. anxiety and psychological distress rigorous tasks in a frightening This virus is terrifying.” in women healthcare workers, ac- work environment, and then go Furthermore, women in cording to the American Medical home to aid their families and healthcare have a much higher risk Association. These repercussions watch over their children. of contracting COVID-19 because should not be taken lightly. These ER AND THEWomen COMMISSION in the ONhealthcare THE STATUS pro- OF WOMEN:the PersonalATTUNED TOProtective TODAY’S WOMEN Equipment women have been profoundly af- fession work in a harsher environ- (PPE) tends to fit women’s bodies fected by COVID-19 in all aspects ment and are at higher risk of poorly. According to MS Maga- of their work, which has taken a COVID-19 than women in other zine, women have greater rates of great toll on how they live. Wom- professions. Dr. Celine Gounder, fit-testing failure, and many estab- en in the medical field have been an infectious disease specialist and lishments have ceased the test- mistreated physically, mentally and epidemiologist, points out that, fitting of the N95 masks, increas- emotionally, thus having experi- “Nurses’ levels of exposure are ing women’s risk of exposure to enced an excessive amount of dis- ‘higher than doctors’, because COVID-19. Most workers do not tress, which has obstructed their they’re much more involved in even receive PPE. Some are given lives. intimate care of patients. They’re masks that are cleaned and reused —Lilly Davis the ones drawing blood, they’re for several days. These cleaning the ones collecting specimens.” procedures do not seem to follow THE TTUThese WOMEN’S tasks CENT often fall to women the CDC guidelines, according to Page 2 ATTUNE This edition of These articles reflect our lead quote Attune is a special one for me Letter from the Director from feminist icon Ruth Bader Gins- because it is the first newsletter problems affect the lives of regular people burg: “enduring change happens one step at a produced during my time serving as the and especially those who identify as women time.” Ginsburg has galvanized our work here director of the Women’s Center. It has and gender minorities. They demonstrate at the Women’s Center for some time, and we been a pleasure and an honor to collabo- how the problems of our current moment deeply felt her loss. Rachel Pearson discussed rate with the students who wrote and impact groups with more or less privilege RBG, a documentary about her life, during edited this newsletter. Everyone worked differently, and they point to some practical the first post for our new monthly Instagram diligently to produce this issue during the ways to start addressing these large issues as series, First Fridays Resource Feature. We’ve strange circumstances created by the pan- we go about our daily lives. We cover every- added a tribute to her at the end of this issue. demic. And in doing so, these writers ex- thing from COVID-19, systemic sexual vio- May her grit, persistence and enduring fight emplified the resilience and critical think- lence and sexism, the racist roots of the BMI for equality for women and marginalized ing that they praise in their articles. and diet culture, the importance of naming groups continue to inspire us. Collectively, these articles ask us to and pronouns, to leading public figures like consider the way large, complex social Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton. —Helen Hunt, Ph.D. line objects made A Future Summer Camp, which The “S” in STEM Stands for Sexism women feel alienated. encourages young girls in the According to a 2009 seventh grade and eighth grade The first day of class is neering internationally. It also article published in the Journal to pursue engineering. These usually exciting. Most students robs the nation of the collective of Personality and Social Psy- programs are just what’s needed experience the pressure of intelligence of women who could chology, society has communi- for women to find success in finding the right classroom or be contributing to science and cated with many women that STEM. When the same student making it to class on time. One technology. “they should dream in code, was asked what changes could Tech student, however, had According to Shapiro and watch Star Trek, and read sci- be made to benefit women in the added pressure of knowing Sax, women are discouraged ence fiction” to be in STEM. STEM at Tech, she said: I person- her professor did not want her from entering STEM- ally find it ridiculous that in his class. It was not because related careers and are certain clubs directed to- he believed her to be a trouble- instead encouraged to wards women in STEM some student, but because she enter a more traditional have been opened up to was a woman. This professor women’s role in society. men. I think that women had previously said aloud that Teachers, parents and in STEM should get to women shouldn’t be engineers. peers play a big role in have a break and actually While this one incident does how young people make be able to open up with not mean that Tech as an insti- future career decisions. each other in a safe space tution discriminates against Missing this encourage- instead of having one more women in STEM, it does point ment from important peo- place where we have to to a larger problem that many ple likely contributes to watch out for ourselves. women experience. Unfortu- the lack of women who chose to These harmful stereotypes steer Allowing women in STEM nately, while discriminatory enter STEM fields. women away from STEM ca- to have their own club would behavior in STEM fields may Another reason for the lack reers. provide them with a safe space seem to be an issue of the past, of women in STEM fields is the Including women in STEM to talk and feel the connection it is still a major problem. alienation women face in the is not limited to eliminating ste- and camaraderie that men in An important part of this learning environment itself. One reotypes and changing work and STEM often take for granted. issue is the underrepresenta- student at Tech shared her expe- school environments. This is a Students can talk to administra- tion of women in STEM pro- rience of alienation in class: I was societal issue, meaning that find- tion collectively and ask for it, as grams. According to research- sitting in class one day, complaining ing one clear solution to the students have power in num- ers Casey Shapiro and Linda J. about how difficult an exam was, and problem is not possible.

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