A piece by Magnus Linklater in today’s Times:
Women are still held back from some of the top jobs in medicine because they opt for part-time work more often than men, a consultant has said.
Jill Belch, professor of vascular medicine and honorary consultant at NHS Tayside, said that while great strides had been made in Scotland, with 60 per cent of jobs in medicine held by women, the top posts in such areas as heart surgery were still held by men.
“These are jobs where you may be required to work from six in the morning to 11 at night, and most women decide that they prefer to work part-time rather than commit to that,” she said. “I don’t blame them. After all we fought for their right to choose.” [J4MB emphasis]
Professor Belch, 64, who was named one of Scotland’s “outstanding women” in the annual Saltire Society awards on Saturday, has spent a lifetime arguing the case for women in medicine. She said that progress since she began her career had been remarkable. In those days, she said, the percentage of women was only 15 per cent.
She remembers being presented with her certificate as a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, when she was heavily pregnant. The president handed the certificate to her husband, assuming that he was the recipient. A secretary had to rush forward to ensure it got into the right hands.
“Things have moved on dramatically since those days,” she said. “We have equal pay, and more than equal representation for women. But there is still that glass ceiling of part-time working which holds us back.” [J4MB emphasis – are athletes who train for fewer hours than other athletes “held back” by achieving less? It shouldn’t be allowed – not for female athletes, anyway.]
The Outstanding Women Awards, presented at the Joan Knight Theatre in Perth, included Margaret Bennett, professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; Jackie Brierton, chief executive of GrowBiz, which supports young people starting out in business; Joy Hendry, editor of the literary magazine Chapman; Louise Macdonald, chief executive of the youth charity Young Scot; and Emma Ritch, the executive director of Engender, which campaigns for gender equality.
Ah yes, Emma Ritch. A parasite on hard-pressed Scottish taxpayers for years, and our June 2015 Lying Feminist of the Month.
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