Women in Medicine
Women now make up 51% of western medical school trainees, yet we are vastly under-represented in specialties, on boards, as heads of department, as leaders of our medical community.
We are as equally interested in everything as men when we embark on our medical training, but somewhere along the way we seem to lose interest… or lose heart. We also earn significantly less than our male colleagues performing similar jobs, even when reduced working hours are taken into account. It is all too easy to say that we work fewer hours, take time off to have families, work part time – but that is certainly not true for all of us.
What is it about the culture of medicine, and the way we are in it, that has created this situation?
Read moreLatest Articles on Women in Medicine
Life as a country doctor
I attended a function last night in the town where I live and work, at which we hosted our young doctors and talked to...
The Pill
Of all the many drugs on the market, there is only one pill known as ‘The Pill’. The Pill is a combination of synthetic female hormones – oestrogen and progesterone – used to mimic pregnancy and suppress female ovulation and thereby fertility, reducing the chance of unwanted pregnancy.
Mentors, Sponsors and Gender Inequity
I recently attended a conference and heard a presentation delivered to female surgeons which addressed the subject of mentors, sponsors and gender inequity in...
Top tips for dealing with ‘Mother guilt’
I am an ex-superwoman. I learned my special powers from my mother, who was an actual superwoman – she worked full-time as a doctor,...
Being a woman
In medicine, I am seen as a woman at times when it suits some agendas, and not seen as a woman when it does...
Why aren’t women leading the way?
Women are natural leaders. We lead by example, by reflection and by virtue of the fact we have an innate wisdom in our bodies...
A man in a woman’s body – there is another way
I grew up believing it is a man’s world and that to succeed in the world I would have to be like a man...
Women of Medicine – can we change the world?
I recently attended the inaugural conference of Australian Women of Medicine, in Melbourne on 26 November 2017. It was a wonderful day, and I...
Sexual Abuse in Surgery
The sexual abuse of women is once again in the news as the behaviour of a Hollywood producer is brought into the light. But...
Why women make great surgeons
“The ideal surgeon should have the eye of an eagle,
the heart of a lion and
the hands of a woman.”
15th century English proverb
Women now make...
What does a doctor look like?
An article published in 2016 recounted the stories of several female doctors who had offered in-flight assistance to distressed passengers in response to the...