Texas Women's Histories
An archival project
Ritsu Komaki on women in healthcare:
"I’m a strong believer in equality, egalitarianism, that every person
matters, every person’s life and potential matters and that no one should be held back for whatever characteristic or reason." (10)
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"I think this notion too of the opportunity structures that are available or not available for people and what are the kinds of policy levers that one might introduce that can be successful in trying to create more opportunities for people. So that was another underlying value. Then the notion that we need to have equality of opportunity, we need to know that every person’s potential is valued." (10)
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"...wonderful young women from all over the world and I always hope when they go back that they can find the opportunities within their own countries too to really make a difference, because they are very talented, very bright, and have all the potential to make a difference." (11)
"Basically women should have the opportunity to participate at all levels and I think that the perspective that they can bring to it out of lived experience, as would be true for anyone in terms of their lived experience, can add some other dimensions to how you look at problems which may not be seen if we kind of ground it in a traditional particularly white male patriarchal point of view. And especially when you are looking at issues of underserved populations and the ways that many women may be involved in those populations." (32-33)
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Lu Ann Aday on equality and women in healthcare:
"Yeah we have been treated differently and I’m sure women are treated differently and also some of the races you know being oriental they have been treated differently. Their expectation is because I don’t look like American football guys so they feel like I am not strong enough. We have some prejudice I feel, and not treated fairly" (20).
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"So but as long as they set up the goal…I already set up some goal whatever I’m going to do. So there will be some winding roads… but once you set up the goal I think they can achieve as long as you really try to get there. Sometimes it’s tough. Sometimes you have to wait but you always believe you can get there... You always have to believe you can do it…[you] cannot say, 'Just because I’m women they don’t give me any job. They don’t treat me right.'" (27-28).
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"I really encourage those women that would like to be a professional or physicians. My philosophy was always that I would like to something for my patients or sick people. Then I can stand up" (28).