Accelerating action for women in healthcare

International Women’s Day is about celebrating the success of women as well as recognising the progress is still needed to achieve gender equality. Here at MPS we understand that means deeds not words are required if we are going to continue accelerating action.

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Prof Dame Jane Dacre, MPS President

Our purpose at MPS is to protect the careers, reputation and financial position of members around the world. We now have over 300,000 members, 55% of whom are women, and in the UK women constitute the majority of doctors licenced to practice. This a milestone which should rightly be celebrated. However, I believe that women in healthcare can encounter unique challenges that impact their professional and personal lives.

The theme of International Women’s Day this year is ‘Accelerate Action’. With the World Economic Forum estimating that at current rates of progress it would take another 132 years to reach full gender parity, the focus of the day is on identifying what can be done to make sure it does not take this long.

Coincidentally, 132 years is almost exactly the same amount of time the Medical Protection Society has been in existence. As an organisation, we want to play our role in accelerating action, and I would like to reflect on the progress made over the past year.

Firstly, MPS has made big strides forward in female leadership, with 50% of our executive team being women. This includes our first ever female Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Commercial Officer. I have also been joined by my dentist colleague Judith Husband on our Council, which now boasts five women on the Board.

Secondly, as an employer we've made real progress in making MPS a fairer, more inclusive place to work. More women than men joined and were promoted last year than ever before, our gender pay gap has more than halved since we first started reporting (and is now lower than the UK average), and women make up the majority in every pay quartile. While we are proud of the improvements made, we continue to grow and learn as an organisation.

Thirdly, through the MPS Foundation we are funding exciting research, including research into the impact of motherhood on doctors and the first Post-Doctoral Research Fellow focusing on workplace interventions for healthcare professionals impacted by menopause.

The research into motherhood will generate insights into how women doctors can best be supported and retained. Although focused on the experience of our members in Ireland, I am confident many of the findings from this will have universal application. The Post-Doctoral Research Fellow is in collaboration with the University of Exeter and will provide much-needed insights into what supports are most effective and why – an area that has been largely unexplored until now. It’s a groundbreaking initiative, and as the research unfolds, we’ll ensure members have opportunities to learn from the findings through webinars and events.

We have also as an organisation welcomed developments aimed at creating a zero-tolerance policy to abuse in the workplace so that all healthcare workers feel their safety is a priority and they report all abusive behaviour. The prevalence of sexual harassment in a healthcare setting is an issue that is rightly getting increased attention across a number of countries, and it is right that we all reflect on what role we can play to tackle this abuse and to support victims.

International Women’s Day is about celebrating the success of women as well as recognising the progress is still needed to achieve gender equality. Here at MPS we understand that means deeds not words are required if we are going to continue accelerating action.