I found this reading extremely interesting and prevalent in our society, especially today. The stereotypes that exist between men and women is ingrained in our society more than we know. Additionally, they can either manifest in mostly harmless ways, or in ways that could be damaging to someone’s life and health. The example about the doctor who decided that his female patient didn’t need a routine test to test cholesterol levels (simply because the issue of high cholesterol is statistically more common in men) when in fact she ended up needing medication to control her levels proves this idea and how dangerous it can be. The preconceived notion that certain people are at a higher risk for a certain type of medical issue is understandable, but that doesn’t mean that they should be applied and people should be considered “safe” from these problems (especially in something like the field of medicine). I’ve had family members in the exact same situations, and my female relatives have had to ask for specific tests that doctors overlooked (because the statistical odds of a female having those problems were extremely low) but the test results showed that in fact they did have the issue. To me, this reading solidified the idea that these stereotypes definitely exist in our biases, but in some fields the practical application of them can be very dangerous.
Critical Thinking
The example of the doctor not giving his female patient a routine test also surprised me, and made me think of other ways patients could be being neglected. It reminds me a bit of endometriosis, as some doctors don’t think it’s a real thing or refuse to test for it because they assume that the woman is just complaining about her period.
I am also fascinated with the ways that stereotype threats manifest; the fact that they can be “harmless” or extremely harmful makes them quite scary to me because it might be harder to be sure which one is happening. I think the best response is to make ourselves aware of possible or likely biases. That way, we can defend ourselves, defend others and avoid letting our own biases affect anyone.