More Needs to be done to Support Women in Medicine – 50/50 is not enough

President of the Medical Council calls for greater action to support female doctors in their careers to ensure greater equity at all levels of medicine as equal opportunities aren't enough

Wednesday , 8th March, 2023: This International Women’s Day, the President of the Medical Council calls for increased equity in the medical profession.

Nearly 30 years ago women only made up 30% of the medical workforce in Ireland. 10 years ago, this grew to 41% and today women make up 46% of the doctors in Ireland.

Growth in the number of women registered as doctors continues, with women making up 52% of doctors in the 20- to 35-year-old age group.

As we move towards 50/50 gender balance in medicine, we must acknowledge that this is not enough; it is not true equity because we do not see it reflected in senior appointments and leadership roles.

Speaking on International Women’s Day President of the Medical Council, Dr Suzanne Crowe said

“As a medical student in the summer of 1990 I was one of many to believe that Ireland would become a major force in international football and women would conquer the medical profession, but unfortunately neither came to pass.”

“Though the numbers of women entering medicine rises each year, this increase is slow to be seen in appointments at a senior level and across different specialties, there is still inequity in terms of training opportunities and career progression. While female doctors should expect equal treatment with their male counterparts, employers and training bodies must also take into account the necessity to allow a work-life balance for all” continued Dr Crowe.

Dr Crowe further stated that “As a woman working in medicine and holding a leadership role, I would be hoping for more equitable supports for women in medicine. We need more flexibility, it needs to be more family friendly and more accommodating to the challenges facing women in medicine, and others with caring responsibilities. These changes would not just support female doctors, but all doctors, and most importantly the patients they care for."

“While I am President of the Medical Council, I am also trying to maintain a work-life balance of being a mother, whilst also working as a paediatric intensivist. We need to recognise the individual needs of those within the workforce that may be juggling a career while also being a mother, carer, spouse.”

“The unequal impact of caring responsibilities on women can represent an obstacle to career progression and explains why we do not have as many women in senior leadership roles.

“There’s a brave new world continuing to emerge, that will hopefully improve equity across the spectrum of the medical profession. All bodies and agencies involved in healthcare delivery, policy, and advocacy need to be more cognisant of the importance of equity and equality, diversity, inclusion and work-life balance in their work.”

“Only by all of us playing our part both individually and by working together, will we in turn have a stronger health system leading to improved patient outcomes. Tackling these issues will be a legacy that is meaningful for the next generation of patients and doctors of all genders, and the workplace as a whole” concluded Dr Suzanne Crowe.

The Medical Council recognises that the people delivering medicine and caring for patients has been changing over recent years, as we see a growing number of women entering the medical profession.

The limited supports in place for women in medicine can impact further training and career progression opportunities, with greater flexibility needed.

The Medical Workforce Intelligence Reports, published annually by the Medical Council, highlights that family reasons remains to be a reason why many doctors voluntarily leave the Medical Council register each year. Many of those that leave the register are women who feel that being a mother and caring for a family can make it difficult for them to maintain a good work life balance.

In particular, maternity leave, and the demands of balancing both home and medical professional practice and the long working hours have been cited as reasons for leaving the register.

Statistics:

March 2023

• 27,932 doctors registered, 12,714 (46%) female doctors and 15,218 (54%) male doctors
• 11,615 doctors on Specialist Division – 5,257 (45%) are female and 6,358 (55%) are male
• 10,515 doctors in 20 -35 age group – 5,464 (52%) were females and 5,051 (48%) were males