2006年VOA标准英语-Women Doctors Snub the Surgical Profession

By Jane M Friedman
Washington, DC
24 April 2006
 
watch Surgeon Gender¹ report

Historically, women medical students have chosen not to become surgeons, a specialty² dominated by men. Women, it was said, were unwilling³ to put in the long hours. But now, a study by researchers at the University of Vermont says women choose other medical specialties⁴ in part because of the aggressively masculine personalities⁵ of surgeons. 

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In the operating room, it's hard to tell who are the men and who are the women under masks and surgical⁶ gowns. But when the masks come off, it is clear.

In the United States, 85 percent of surgeons are male.  

Dr. Lisa Boyle  
  
Dr. Lisa Boyle is a surgeon at Washington Hospital Center, the capital's largest hospital. "So we're not proportionately, I think, attracting as many women as we should be, although the sheer numbers are clearly heading in the right direction."

In the 1950s, women were typically housewives.  They first entered the medical profession as nurses.

Today, 50 percent of American medical students are women.  But most women doctors choose pediatrics and general practice over surgery. 

The study found that women doctors are less likely than men to turn away from surgery because of the heavy workload⁷. However, women said the "surgical personality" was a factor.

Dr. Boyle adds, "I think surgeons have historically been perceived to be arrogant⁸, self involved, less compassionate⁹, less likely to listen, to communicate, perhaps not quite as well as women."

Male surgeons dominate the field -- both in numbers and in leadership positions -- in many developed countries. In Russia and the former Eastern Bloc¹⁰, women are a larger percentage but still a minority. 

Dr. Boyle says patients could have a big impact on stamping out what some call the "macho" personality of surgeons. 

"Many patients have decided¹¹ now that they not only want their doctors to be skilled, they want them to be able to talk to them... their concerns are being heard".

In the meantime, women surgeons hope their growing numbers will help mute the aggressive male environment they work in.

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

4 specialties   

n.专门，特性，特别；专业( specialty的名词复数 )；特性；特制品；盖印的契约

参考例句：

• Great Books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. 名著绝不引经据典，艰深难懂，而是通俗易读。它们不是专家为专业人员撰写的专业书籍。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Brain drains may represent a substantial reduction in some labor force skills and specialties. 智力外流可能表示某种劳动力技能和特长大量减少。 来自辞典例句

5 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

6 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

7 workload   

n.作业量，工作量

参考例句：

• An assistant one day a week would ease my workload.每周有一天配一个助手就会减轻我的工作负担。
• He's always grousing about the workload.他总是抱怨工作量大。

8 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

9 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

10 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。