Does this law reflect sexism against men?

Question

"In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror".

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2251280.ece

Is this law fair, or is it sexist?

Answer 1

Well it does assume that all men are lascivious rapists who could not handle their assumed jobs as gynocologists, which is sexist. But it may also be merely for the comfort and safety of the female patient involved. Perhaps there was a history in Bahrain of molestation of male doctors against female patients which led to a mass neurosis that the the governement had to palliate with these rather eccentric laws. After all, laws arise out of necessity whatever they may be. As a stand alone law, and enforced universally then it is sexist but without any further contextual information or historical background of Bahrain it is impossible to say.

It does sound like a Yoko Ono conceptual performance piece though! 'Handle a mirror, hold it two inches from the v****a and repeat freedom and liberation, then you are unshackled'

Answer 2

It's sexist against both genders. And women in Bahrain are lucky. In many Muslim countries, male doctors may not examine women at all, and women are prevented from practicing as doctors, so women die of easily curable conditions.

Answer 3

Of course it is sexism, such laws or customs are only practised only by those backward countries who still live in dark ages.

Answer 4

That's petty.

Typical of the rogue rules and regulations we get nowadays.

Answer 5

LOL, LOL, LOL..... man that's gotta be the best....I mean a mirror reflects everything in perfect colour, form and shape, sharpness, size, dimensions, etc....that said, a mirror does not leave a single aspect to the imagination at all, whatsoever, so in effect the doctors in Bahrain may as well be looking at the real thing.

(Just as an aside - My ex-husband was so possessive, he insisted that I go to only female doctors throughout our marriage, even when I gave birth, but I preferred it that way too, so I was happy to comply).

But more importantly, I have to agree with others who have implied that just looking at a thing may not be good enough to give a proper diagnosis, and that is very unfair to women in Bahrain. Sometimes, I'm guessing that a gynocologist/ general practitioner may need to use hands/ digits to feel for obstructions, swellings, abseses, ulcers, (lost tampons...yeah...it happens), or whatever else that could be inside that should not be there, potentially causing unwanted infection or cancer. A mirror alone is not going to find any of that?

Mirror? - Sorry, no good.

Answer 6

How is he going to give a professional examination then? That is sexist!!

but I would prefer a women doctor because we both have the same things=] But a male doctor doesn't effect me.

Answer 7

Lol I don't think it's sexist though. Just silly, but not sexist as it doesn't deem anyone to be infeior or have a negative affect on them.

Answer 8

Not enough information. It would only be sexist (discrimination) if at the time the law was made there were women doctors allowed to look directly at male genitals. Otherwise, (a lot of these laws are not strictly speaking true any more btw, they just never get removed. Like vestigal organs)

Answer 9

Actually, I think it's more sexist towards female patients.  Are the male patients also being examined using a mirror?  The women may be incorrectly diagnosed without a proper examination.

Answer 10

It is pretty ridiculous!

Answer 11

she loses out if the male doctor can't adequately examine her - her health is on the line.

what does he lose? he still stays in his job.

in the middle east there is a high rate of breast cancer - b/c women are too modest to get checked.

in latin american countries, women still have high rates of cervical cancer - a very treatable disease - b/c of modesty.

these modesty laws or norms hurt women in serious ways - they hurt the men that love them, too, b/c they will lose them to cancer b/c of the "high value" placed on women's modesty.

Answer 12

Sounds both sexist and dangerous. I wouldn't have total confidence in a diagnosis which is based on reflections in a mirror rather than the actual picture.

But - since surgeons have been able to perform surgery over the internet (link provided), I guess there should not be a mass mis-diagnosis.

Answer 13

Actually, it may not be sexist.

In some practices (barber, physician, etc.) using a mirror for examining ones work on another's body was very common place. Professionals in these kinds of practices found that the eye is able to catch imperfections more easily in a mirror than with the naked eye. Why, I honestly don't know. I've seen it my self. If you have a barber who checks his/her work  with a mirror and not their own eye, they're worth coming back to.

I'm not saying this is specifically what this law is requiring, but it may be tied to it. I personally think this law is silly, but then again, you should ask the professionals in this field to be sure. Even still, I don't think it's sexist.

Answer 14

Not sexist, but a little retarded. He's still getting a clear view of the genitals through the mirror, its not like its protecting women's modesty or anything.

It also sets the stage for misdiagnosis.

Answer 15

Sexist or not, it is ridiculous.

If I was the doctor, I know the examination would be really Slow. That's Slow with a capital 'S'.

It is sexist in a way. I think they're just trying to increase the number of female doctors and gynecologists. Right now, 6 in every 7 gynecologists in the world are men! So women are jealous that we know more about their bodies than they do! (LOL!)

Answer 16

My question to this is 'Do women in Bahrain have the choice to see a woman gyno?' If they do have the option then yes, this is sexist towards. If they do not have the option, then no, not sexisttowards men, although it is sexists towards the women.

Answer 17

It's sexist, but sexism affects men and women.  Anything sexist hurts everybody.

Answer 18

It's just plain stupid, if he can't examine her properly he might miss something important.

Answer 19

Yes, and its pretty sad. It should be the other way around.