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V O L 5 2020 I S S U E

• What about the dreams of fellowship/ It is perhaps because lot of them take a backseat and never reach the top because of their do-
The whole point is that the strong, both men subsequent subspeciality training? The mestic responsibilities, childcare and the glass ceiling. Ultimately, the lack of time and devotion
and women, have a choice to make : we can biological clock is in constant conflict with towards excellence comes in the way and they end choosing professional roles demanding less
bury our head in the sand and ignore the the career graph and unfortunately neither time and commitment. We don’t have to look far for examples. I could find just four women in
problem or we can establish the problem and fertility nor career waits. Most of us have the list of APSI (Association of Plastic Surgeons of India) Presidents’ list since 1975!
find solutions. Here is why I feel that the title postponed marriage and the motherhood
assertion is a reality, not a mere myth! dream for so long that lots of women end
up postponing/or forego further training.

Less Recognition, Less Awards, Fighting the leaky Academic Pipeline
A choice to make for the strong Fellowships? Subspeciality Training? Lesser Leadership
Men & Women Both
• It is nobody’s fault but perhaps women’s • There is a serious problem in accepting
• When I started looking for a job, fresh own that they often aren’t too comfortable women leadership by both men and
out of residency, my interview didn’t just discussing money. Perhaps a lot of women women. A strict, aggressive, firm and
include questions about my experience have a tendency to undervalue themselves sometimes eccentric male boss is accepted
and competence, but some tangentially and end up having a problem in negotiating in a rather matter of fact manner. But we
different ones too. Whether I have kids or hard for the salary they deserve. do have a problem associating these traits
not? (NO? Wow! My mother is unhappy, with women because in our minds these
employers extremely happy). Then there • Ah! Being confused with and addressed traits are masculine. Hence the aggressive
are doubts if I will attend night calls or not, as nurses forever! As a young boss of your women bosses are branded emotional and
whether I am tough enough to handle team, there always is a problem of being sometimes frustrated!
rowdy patient attendants or not. Some of identified as the in-charge. Sometimes the
these questions voiced, some just looming patients could be paying more attention to Oh no! The surgeon is pregnant!
there like invisible grey clouds! an elderly dresser in your team!
• The other elephant in the room : we are
• Then there is the general bias in not comfortable talking about it but it isn’t
perception of women surgeons! Surgery possible not to address sexual harassment
has traditionally been a male dominated as unfortunately it does exist. It is more
field and often associated with power. often implicit than explicit. Most of the
Unfortunately many think that masculinity times your sensibilities as a surgeon are in
and power are synonymous! direct conflict with those as a woman. As a
surgeon you never want to come across as
• As we are people of science, I did go through weak or a victim and as a women you end
research that presents substantial evidence Difficulty in accepting female leadership! up bearing the hostile environment!
to suggest that women are presented with
lesser awards, lesser honours and overall • The mini elephants in the room : babies! • Are family and domestic roles shared
less recognition. That they are seen less in What is a good time to have a child? A) equally in 2020? No matter how many
Being hired for the Job! leadership roles compared to men could During residency when your colleagues domestic helps you hire, as a woman you
be due to implicit bias, but it has more are more often than not, unhappy about can never completely escape the role of a
• Lot of us have doctors for spouses and there to do with the ‘leaky academic pipeline’. the situation because it obviously burdens homemaker (most times one doesn’t wish
is always the question of who becomes The number of women joining surgical them more? B) Or after residency, when to also). As a result, you are sometimes torn
the trailing spouse? Both genders do at residency is increasing and they make up you are fighting to carve a niche for between home and work.
different times, I suppose, but I do feel for a good number of the total residents, yourselves in the outside world? No one at
when it comes to settling down at the yet when it comes to people reaching the work is too happy with your happy news!
final destination, it is more often than not: top positions, we see very few women. It might help to realize that a pregnant
husband’s prerogative/his hometown as a woman is carrying a child for a man and a
natural choice. woman so it is not just a women’s issue, but
everyone’s issue!
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