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Embracing diversity feature
International Women’s Day at RACS International Women's Day was commemorated on Monday 8 March, with various RACS events hosted around the country. As part of our International Women's Day program, the ‘President’s Meeting Room’ at the College will now be called the ‘Anne Kolbe Room’ in honour of our first female President, who was President of RACS 2003-2005.
In South Australia, Fellows and Trainees gathered at the new RACS office in Kent Town, Adelaide to celebrate the day. The ceremony was attended by the RACS Women in Surgery Chair, Dr Christine Lai, who took part in a panel interview with ABC journalist Wendy Harmer the day before, and former Queensland Premier Anna Bligh. Listen to their conversation here.
In Queensland, the local membership met at Customs House in Brisbane for a lunchtime gathering on Saturday 13 March. A similar function was held in Western Australia, where guests gathered at Goodwood Restaurant at Optus Stadium on Saturday 20 March.
New South Wales International Women’s Day
On Friday 12 March I was honoured to chair a discussion on ‘Gender Parity in the Public Hospital Medical Workforce’. This event was co-hosted by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) New South Wales and the Honourable Bronwyn Taylor, New South Wales Minister for Mental Health, Regional Health and Women. The purpose of the day was to focus on gender barriers in surgery, especially in the public hospital system. This was scheduled as part of New South Wales Women’s Week, a week dedicated to celebrating achievements of women in the state. During my time as a RACS New South Wales Committee member and now as Chair of the Committee, I have heard many female Fellows who have engaged with RACS New South Wales report frustration with current workplace practices. This was reflected in the discussions throughout the day, with many barriers to women’s success identified. These included: • Difficulties accessing parental leave (both maternity and paternity) • Female Fellows being discouraged from
Elizabeth Koff, Secretary, New South Wales Health, and the Hon. Bronwyn Taylor, MLC, New South Wales Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women.
applying for advertised public positions and being told that the preferred candidate is a male • Female Fellows working unpaid in nonclinical roles or being appointed but without operating privileges. These issues compound the problems of the lack of visibility of women in surgery, which leads to barriers to attracting women Surgical Education and Training
(SET) applicants, as well as a significant gender pay gap, which can be greater than 50 per cent in some specialties (based on RACS 2014 census data). RACS has a diversity and inclusion policy and has been very proactive in increasing representation of women to boards and committees. Currently, 35 per cent of RACS committee and board members are women, even though only 14 per cent
