KAREN LAWITTS, DDS
29-Year Dental Practice Owner
BY LAUREN BOUDREAU I PHOTO BY JUSSARA POTTER
When Dr. Karen Lawitts entered dental school at Northwestern University in 1977, there were less than 10 women out of 112 students. She didn't notice the gender gap at the time, bur after she graduated she was suddenly hit by a wave of sexism.
She became well aware that she was the minority. After finishing her residency at Upstate Medical University, she realized no one would hire her because she was a woman.
“I actually went to a couple of interviews and they were very honest. They said were afraid to hire me because I would quit once I started a family.”
She wrote 75 letters to dentists in Chicago, where she did her undergraduate degree, asking for employment. Only one wrote her back, another female dentist. However, it wasn’t the experience she had wanted.