Vignette - Gender Bias

This video focuses on gender bias within the clinical setting and seeks to raise awareness of one's own implicit biases when treating the opposite sex. It illustrates a male occupational therapist's discriminatory behavior when treating a woman recovering from a minor stroke, assuming she would find the activity of cooking useful when in fact her husband does all the cooking at home. Furthermore, this scenario demonstrates how the male therapist neglects to focus his therapy session around what the patient finds important, shedding light on how male health professionals routinely devalue the concerns of female patients as evidenced in health care research.

Questions

1. What are some common assumptions about women that a therapist should be careful not to assume when assessing and treating a female client?
2. Considering how cooking is commonly used within rehab treatment, was it appropriate for the therapist in this scenario to suggest this activity? If not, why?
3. Considering how the client is familiar with the rehab facility, and that the therapist is filling in for his co-worker, what are some things that the therapist could have done to avoid suggesting an activity that is not relevant to the client?
4. Did you notice how the therapist stereotyped her husband as well? What are some common assumptions that people have about the roles that individuals play in their families? How can these assumptions potentially impact our perception of our clients and influence treatment?

Video Disclaimer:

These videos contain dramatized content used for educational purposes that do not represent the viewpoints or opinions of the actors, students, the Downstate Occupational Therapy Department, nor SUNY Downstate Medical Center.