VICDOC Autumn 2023 - Magazine - Page 15
PERSONAL
OUTLOOK
WOMEN STILL CARRY MOST OF THE BURDEN OF
BEING PRIMARY CARERS FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
IN FEMINISED PROFESSIONS, PEOPLE ARE
OFTEN DOING IMPORTANT WORK THAT THEY
CARE DEEPLY ABOUT, BUT THEY’RE NOT
BEING PAID FAIRLY.
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Many college training programs are
still not set up for women who want to
complete specialty training and have a
family. We could do so much more to
normalise part-time training and create
opportunities for job sharing and flexible
working hours. In my 20s, I gave up my
first attempt at psychiatry training because
it was so difficult to be in full-time clinical
training with three children under the age
of four. My children, Finn, Stella and Zoe,
are young adults now, but support for
part-time trainees hasn’t changed very
much since they were born.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE REALITY OF
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT OF
DOCTORS BY DOCTORS.
Sexual misconduct within the medical
profession happens across a whole
spectrum, from sexualised comments
through to sexual assault or rape. I still
remember the distress and shame that
I felt, many years ago now, when I knelt
down to get a patient file and the male
surgeon I was working for said, “It's
good to see a woman on her knees.
It always makes me hopeful.” There is
still a real fear of negative repercussions
for women, including women doctors,
if they report sexual misconduct in the
workplace. Particularly because the people
that you're working for, who may be the
perpetrators, are also the people who are
writing your letters of reference, making
recommendations to training programs, or
who might be employing you in the future.
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You see those disparities in status and
remuneration across all areas of healthcare:
the professions and specialties that are
male dominated are consistently paid more.
And then equally skilled roles, where most
workers are women, are paid much less.
Aged care is a good example. Just as most
aged care residents are women, so too are
the people working in aged care. Many
residents have multiple comorbidities and
require complex care. Aged care nurses
provide a hugely skilled service but are
terribly underpaid for it. Women are less
likely than men to ask for pay rises, and less
likely to be granted them if they do ask.
Advocacy for equal pay isn't happening
to the extent that it should be.
SOMETIMES ONE ENCOURAGING CONVERSATION
CAN CHANGE A PERSON’S LIFE.
I'm at this lovely stage of my career now
where I’ve transitioned into being able to
support other people's careers. I've achieved
a lot of the things that I want to achieve,
and I’m grateful to all the people who
encouraged me along the way. So, my focus
now is on supporting other clinicians and
academics who are coming through. I am
enjoying mentoring and supervising and
holding the ladder to help other women
reach their goals. Sometimes it’s simply a
matter of letting people talk about their
hopes and dreams out loud. It makes it
more real.
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