Gender Equality
the way forwards
Dr Anita Holdcroft
Emeritus Reader in Anaesthesia
Co-Chair Medical Academic Staff
Committee, BMA
UCL March 2008
Medical Education 2007;41:909-914.
• Publication lag – data from 2004, 2005
• Variations within overall numbers
UCL March 2008
Numbers
UK Professors – clinical numbers
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
males
females
1
6
11 Universities
16
21
UCL March 2008
2
31
UK % Female Professors - clinical
% females
40
11%
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132
Universities
o large variability across Medical Schools
o 11% females overall in 2005
UCL March 2008
Academic medicine
•
•
•
•
Medical School variability (England)
% Female professors (total F numbers, 2005)
Range 0% - 33%, average 10%
5%
Cambridge (45), Durham (1), Hull/York (2), Leeds (37),
Leicester (37), Nottingham (51), Oxford (28), Peninsula
((15), Southampton (33)
• ≥15%
GKT (92), Keele (9), QMUL (51), UEA (8), Warwick (12)
Sandhu, Margerison, Holdcroft. Medical Education 2007
UCL March 2008
UK Professors by specialty
o large
variations in
numbers
o gender
variations
between
specialties
General Practice
Radiology
Ophthalmology
Microbiology
Paediatrics
Pathology
O&G
Medical
Psychiatry
Oncology
Public Health
Medicine
Anaesthetics
Surgery
Occ Med
0
100
UCL March 2008
200
300
400
500
600
UK % Female Professors -clinical
General Practice
Radiology
Ophthalmology
Microbiology
Paediatrics
Pathology
O&G
Medical
Psychiatry
Oncology
Public Health
Medicine
Anaesthetics
Surgery
Occ Med
0
5
10
UCL March 2008
15
20
%
25
Academic medical specialties
• % Female Professors
• 5%
(2005)
• Anaesthetics
• Surgery
• Occupational Medicine
• ≥15%
•
•
•
•
General practice
Microbiology
Ophthalmology
Radiology
Sandhu, Margerison, Holdcroft. Medical Education 2007
UCL March 2008
BMA Policy - ARM
That this meeting:
• supports a target of at least 40% of
women in senior academic medical posts
and Heads of Department in medical
schools as per the EU Women in Science
programme standards (2005)
UCL March 2008
Opportunity Blocks – key facts
Chief Medical
Officer’s
Annual Report
2006
• 2/3 medical students are women 1/4
consultants are women
• Barriers to career progression make
women regret taking up profession
• EU identifies obstacles as inflexible
working, poor childcare, lack of
incentives
• 24h cover means family unfriendly
profession
• NHS was pioneer but has not
developed
UCL March 2008
Today the problem is not access to medical school but
rather how we ensure the female medical workforce is
able to fulfil its potential once in employment
• The number of flexible training places for doctors should be expanded
• A national working group should be established to recommend changes
to workplace childcare provision which are matched to the needs of
women doctors
• In surgery and other specialties where the proportion of women is low,
mentorship schemes should be reinforced
UCL March 2008
BMA Policy - ARM
That this meeting:
• notes that the BMA has identified pay differences between
female and male academics after allowance has been made for
age, skills and seniority
• is aware that the proportion of women in medical academic posts
is low and notes that fewer than 10% of medical professors are
women
• is concerned that there is a lack of opportunity for women
doctors to return to University posts after a career break
and therefore demands that the BMA corrects this
insidious gender discrimination by lobbying the
government to implement the recommendation of the
European Union’s Science Committee that women should
comprise at least 40% of clinical academic staff (2007)
UCL March 2008
WAM Summary and Recommendations
UCL March 2008
WAM Summary Findings
• Flexible working was top reason for
choice of job cited by both men and
women (more for HEI than NHS)
• 12% had no appraisal (more for HEI
than NHS)
• Glass Ceiling e.g. journal editor
• Lack of role models worse for women (in
NHS and HEI)
UCL March 2008
WAM Recommendations
Who takes action?
• Government
• Professional Societies
• Journals
• Institution
• Department
• Head of department
• Individual staff
UCL March 2008
Government
• Both the promotions criteria and process need to be
made explicit and transparent to staff
• Appraisal should be an annual process
• Appointments committees should reflect diversity of
staff required
• Gender monitoring of appointments and promotions
should be in place
• Measures of gender equality should be benchmarked
against European targets and exemplars
• Gender equality must be integrated and mainstreamed
• Journals and grant awarding bodies should minimise
gender bias
• Leadership programmes encouraged
UCL March 2008
Individual staff (men and women)
• Promote awareness
• Encourage confidence
• Attend
•
•
•
•
•
• training courses
• links during career breaks
Mentor and be mentored
Identify role models
Promote networking
Rotate offices in committees
Encourage
• meetings to fit with childcare
• positive attitude to part time working
• Confront unacceptable behaviour (and be supported)
• Recognise the value of different approaches to goals
UCL March 2008
Gender Equality – the way forwards
Action planned
Chief Medical Officer
-awaiting response to
consultation
WAM Launch
April 30th 2008
House of Lords
UCL March 2008