When the Personal Was Political: Five Women Doctors Look Back

"When the Personal was Political" is the first social history of the post-feminist generation of women doctors, told through the story of five women who met in the freshman class of UCSF medical school in 1973, formed a study group for mutual support, and maintained their friendships for thirty years, weathering motherhood and managed care. Feminism opened the door, and they walked through, clueless but committed. They were a unique group, sandwiched between the individual women pioneers of previous decades who were proud to "think like men" and the women students of today who take access to professional school for granted. The pioneers were the scouts in the male-dominated profession; this generation was the landing party. The book raises the question, "What does it mean to be a 'woman doctor' if 'a doctor' is a man?" Despite the greater numbers of women in medicine today, women medical students still face choices (pediatrics or surgery?) where gender matters. Dr. Martin's thoughtful analysis combines an insider perspective and a lively writing style.