Women continue to be under-represented in health care and medical leadership in Australia, with experts labelling the disparity an issue of “equity and social justice”.
The burden of addressing barriers on a woman’s path to leadership should not sit with individuals, but with changing the culture, organisations and systems where women work, according to a new Perspective article published today in the Medical Journal of Australia.
A renewed push is under way to improve the disparity, writes paediatrician Dr Jenny Proimos and colleagues, through the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) initiative, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
A key focus of the AWHL initiative is recognising the role played by member organisations, including professional associations and medical colleges.
Eight colleges and member organisations partnered with the AWHL to explore the systems and policies they have in place to help advance women in the field.
The feedback from member organisations on the AWHL initiative has been very positive, with more funding now secured from the NHMRC.
Extensive engagement continues with member organisations as one way to improve the representation of women in health care and medical leadership.
- Sam Hunt