Prof Lucas: I think stereotypes are still sort of ingrained in the system, stereotypes of what people can achieve and where they can go. Personally, I just see people as people, so I’m not easily intimidated by male stereotypes. I try to look through them. Now that comes with a substantial amount of self-confidence, and I think it’s because I’ve been privileged to have some very strong, impressive people believing in me. But people still live those stereotypes, and they are lived on both sides – male and female.
I think females put themselves second many times when they could step up. They try to fulfill the roles they’re expected to, instead of speaking up. It’s easier for males to still take that dominant position. It’s unfortunately a fight for females to stand up to that same level, but we have to keep up that fight. And we have to point it out if it happens. Just like we point out bullying, that some things aren’t appropriate.
Dr Hunter: Can I first call out all the guys who are here. It could have been uncomfortable, but I love the fact you’re here, so thanks guys. And then the uncomfortable statement, that I still think if a man walks in and commands the room, he’s assertive. Whereas if a woman does the same, she’s aggressive. So, this is a pervading social problem.
I don’t think it’s unique to medicine. We also come from that really hierarchical environment where you’re the intern, you’re just the “chewing gum on the bottom of my shoe” kind of environment. Those two things together are a perfect storm. And we’re only one generation really from feminism, and I think the journey will continue. We need to advocate for both genders. We don’t need to swing the pendulum from one extreme to the other, but we definitely need to
think about the social context in which we see women step into leadership.
A/Prof Zissiadis: On a positive note, my table here has many of our executives, all females here in WA. I feel privileged to be working for an employer where being a woman is not a barrier and, in fact, having been invested in by the employer who sent all the doctors on leadership courses. And we all got a personal coach at one stage, to teach us how to balance our lifestyle and be good at our jobs, while also making sure we prioritise our health, our family, ourselves, and our clinical practice.
We thought we knew how to do that by the time we’ve had a family and a fairly successful career. But I must say we all learnt something. In fact, we learnt quite a bit. So, there’s still a long way to go, and there are employers out there and organisations that really are agnostic.
A/Prof Tan: Similar to Genesis, we have our Clinipath table with our exec team also here today, and the majority are women. We’re really fortunate to be in an environment where women in leadership are supported. For me, the biggest challenge in being a leader is trying to juggle and balance that with family and spending time with the people who need you.
I have three children, and I can say it’s a constant juggle. But I do use innovation at home. I have two washing machines, two dishwashers and vacuum robots to help me, because those things take up a lot of your time. And in terms of food preparation, I have a lot of recipes for dinner within 20 minutes.
I think it’s harder in clinical medicine because you can’t take your patients home with you, whereas I can take my slides home with me. I can do my research after hours. It’s also important to remember that it’s OK for men to step back. So, support men when they take carer’s leave or paternity leave and things like that. I mean, women can’t step forward unless there is someone to support them. I think that’s really crucial to remember.
