ID-5184 Wonca Abstracts supplement A-K 13-10-23 - Flipbook - Page 283
WONCA 2023 Supplement 1: WONCA 2023 abstracts (A–K)
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Women family doctors and the workforce challenge:
Ways to go forward together!
E/Prof Amanda Howe1, Prof Amanda Barnard2
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WWPWFM, Royal College of GPs (UK), and University of East Anglia Norwich; also Past President
WONCAh, 2WWPWFM, Australian National University Rural Clinical School Canberra
The choice of this topic reflects one of our WP’s ongoing priorities and will link with the work program
for the next biennium.
Family medicine globally attracts an increasing number of women doctors, but there is evidence
that negative biases remain in many of their careers. These vary across health systems and national
contexts, but common factors revealed in our WP’s previous research include negative attitudes
from colleagues; disadvantageous contracts; different career opportunities; and lack of constructive
support for women when they need also to accommodate personal commitments (eg as carers).
These issues can lead to demoralisation and reduced job satisfaction, and are known also to influence
whether women stay in the medical workforce.
However, there are also evidence-based solutions which can be used to address these factors. Our
10-minute presentations will include material that addresses these – such as the value of consciously
building allies and networks that support and increase opportunities; the role of mentors and peers,
especially in periods of transition; more formal structural approaches to recognising and addressing
organisational biases; and the value of professional advocacy.
The roundtable will allow discussion of these factors at a personal level, using breakout rooms with
four facilitators (including online). The brief for the small groups will include examples of where career
options can be impacted and how these can be tackled. Finally, we shall spend time in regional
groupings so that we can build WONCA networks to feed into this work going forward. Conclusions
will be fed back into the WP Executive and the wider membership.
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