{"id":22705,"date":"2020-02-04T11:48:49","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feminem.org\/?p=22705"},"modified":"2020-02-04T11:48:53","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:48:53","slug":"the-beauty-of-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feminem.org\/2020\/02\/04\/the-beauty-of-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beauty of Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ageism, bias against an individual due\nto their age, disproportionately affects women. Although it goes both ways –\nageism occurs against both the young and the old – it tends to occur more\ntowards older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As women we set ourselves up poorly when\nwe buy into stereotypes that assert women are less valuable as they age. Where\nwe spend our assets shows our priorities: women spend significantly more money and<\/em>\ntime on cosmetic treatments, plastic surgery, and grooming than men. This\naffects us on multiple levels: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. It propagates the notion that a woman\u2019s value\nlies in her looks and sexuality, particularly to other women, both younger, the\nsame age, and older than us. <\/li>
  2. It funds an industry that capitalizes on a poor\nself-perception of one\u2019s looks and siphons away capital that is more wisely\nused saving towards our future. American women on average live longer than\nAmerican men, requiring retirement savings for a longer period of time. <\/li>
  3. It fuels competition based on age differences\nbetween women, in addition to competition on many other levels that society\nalready pressures women to feel due to appearance, weight, fertility, and more.<\/li>
  4. It persuades women to spend significant time, a\ncommodity more valuable than money, on our outward appearance.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Our value lies inherently in our\nknowledge, talents, skills, and experience. Spending more time using these\nassets instead will propel women into leadership levels that will bring equity\nfor women in medicine and beyond.  It will\nalso lead to valuing older women. Abandon the notion that women are less\nvaluable as we age due to a perceived decline in our appearance or sexuality. We\nneed to merit our futures, and women in general, differently — beginning in\nour youth. Actively decide to shift perspective and subsequently change culture\nin the following ways: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Women increase in value as they age due to\nincreasing experience, as everyone does (not just men).<\/li>
    2. As hard as we may try not to, we evaluate or\njudge other humans. We naturally do this to determine if we need to protect\nourselves from harm. We can assess each other as women by our actions and where\nwe spend our time and money, rather than judging based on appearances.<\/li>
    3. We can invest in increasing our knowledge,\ncollecting valuable experiences, and sharing our learned lessons.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Women physicians are in a prime position to combat ageism against all older adults, men and women alike. We do not realize the fruits of our labor until later than most. We value ourselves for our diligence and resilience, as do others. Setting this example in a clear light for others is part of our mission. Don\u2019t let others displaying ageist tendencies affect you; allowing others\u2019 opinions of your age affect you is the first step in making ageism a bias. Instead, look forward to your life after your medical career with the same enthusiasm you had towards being an attending. Direct effort to planning for your life as an older adult with the same appetite and meticulousness with which you planned your current career.  Your attitude change will result in improved research for older adults in healthcare, a positive outlook towards life after medicine, and more. We are living long enough today that retirement is not an end – it is simply a transition to a new phase in life, one we are not taught to plan for outside of financial savings. Respect the experience and grit older adults bring to the table and see what they are doing at age 70 or 85. Many are living active lives.  Plan for your life to be more exciting at age 70 than it is today – it is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Watch the FIX talk below!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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