VIDEO: Women in GI should dispel ‘myth of the Superwoman,’ be best versions of themselves
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RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — In a Healio video exclusive, Aline Charabaty, MD, encourages women in gastroenterology to reject the notion of being “Superwoman” and instead focus on creating an optimal work-life balance.
“When you relate your day to your friends and family, you often hear, ‘You are Superwoman, you are Wonder Woman,’ and I always thought it was flattering,” Charabaty, clinical director of gastroenterology and the IBD Center at Johns Hopkins Sibley Memorial Hospital and co-founder of Scrubs and Heels, said. “But I started thinking about this: What does it really mean?”
Charabaty describes these fictional female superheroes as having traditional male qualities — “bold, assertive and strong” — while also never tiring or hesitating to care for someone in need and always being invincible.
“This whole myth of the Superwoman is actually a sharp contradiction to the realities of women in GI,” she said.
Charabaty noted that female gastroenterologists are paid on average $20,000 less than their male counterparts, often experience microaggressions and can feel penalized for maternity leave. More importantly, leadership roles are still limited among women in GI.
Rather than saying yes to everything to “prove their worth,” Charabaty encourages women to only say yes to things that are meaningful to them.
“Let us be bold, passionate, assertive,” she said. “Let us do things in a mindset of service. Let us not be afraid, let us leap into opportunities, trusting that we have the talent to accomplish what we want to accomplish.
“We do not have to save the day, every day. We should develop our life and our career the way we envision it, not the way others have determined it.”
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Charabaty A. The Superwoman myth: Stop the self-sabotage. Presented at: Scrubs and Heels Summit; Feb. 17-19, 2023; Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
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