8th March – International Women’s Day
The 8th of March is important for mankind all over the world. We celebrate women on this day, life-bringers, warriors, and care-givers. QMed celebrates women in all of their glory and hopes that the time will come when the medical profession will recognize them in their fullest potentials. This, in the interest of the profession and the people it serves selflessly.
On April 4, 2020, The Catalyst brought out an article reporting that women counted for 70% of the global healthcare work-industry. They also reported that women health-workers face a disproportionate ratio of being affected by infectious diseases, inclusive of COVID-19. In the United States, for instance, the Centers for Disease Control report that as of April 2020, 73% of healthcare professionals who tested positive for COVID were women.
Another report published by the BMA in December 2020 states that in England, women physicians in hospitals earn an average of 18.9% less pay than their male counterparts (based on full-time equivalent mean salaries). Women General Practitioners earn an average of 15.3% less than males, and clinical academicians earn 11.9% less.
There are a number of ways this disparity is validated. Women need longer periods of leave because of their care-giving duties. Medical careers are tutored to expect a full-time working force, along with additional commitments. So how about solving this with men and women taking turns to take leave for care-giving? And the time expectations regarding “full time” being reworked.
It is time that society does all that is possible to reap the full benefits of “women potential” in the field. Let us all extend our complete support to the theme of this year (as announced on Twitter) #choosetochallenge! Let us move towards ensuring that we all challenge ourselves not just to give women professionals the credit they deserve, but ensuring that everyone gains from such actions!
And – from QMed – A link to free articles in PubMed about Women’s Health and Women’s Rights