Women in academic medicine - challenges and issues
September 2004
Unorthodox career progression
From the outset, participants recognised the unorthodox and ‘often tortuous’ routes taken by many women into an academic medical career. Many women in the focus groups did not adhere to a mainstream career route for a variety of reasons, and felt that this was viewed negatively by male colleagues, who often took a more traditional, direct career route. It was suggested that instead of being seen as ‘threatening the mainstream’, the unconventional career progression experienced by many women should be recognised as an advantage and serves to illustrate the level of dedication and motivation displayed by women in the pursuit of an academic career.
‘I feel that because women have got other responsibilities, their career always, in the majority, are more tortuous than men. I think there will be men who change specialties because of the need of the child or the family or for other reasons, but somehow I feel that women are much more...among women you will find much more concentration of this type of career, which is not straightforward. They come into their final specialty through very tortuous routes and because you are outside the system, men in positions of power to help you cannot, because you are coming from outside, not within the mainstream’.
‘When you say that we come from an unconventional background, we actually threaten the orthodoxy, that’s the whole point I think, and it may not be simply that they (men) cannot help us, it may be that it actually threatens their position...it threatens the whole way they establish themselves, and I think that it’s very difficult to actually identify it’.
‘Most women have a tortuous career path, they come from a different angle, it’s not the mainstream, it’s looked at as a handicap instead of being looked at as an advantage, because these people have got so much commitment that they went through all these hurdles to do what others are doing as a straight line. Why people can’t see that this is an advantage, these women are so motivated to keep going, despite all the obstacles they keep going, they never give up’.
Age
Several participants were of the opinion that age is a key factor in the career progression of women. Many suggested that academic competition, particularly for senior positions, is in many cases hindered by age. This problem was seen as one which particularly affects women, as many have taken longer, less direct routes into their career and are often older than male colleagues in similar positions, as a result.
‘I've never thought of it as a gender issue, but it may be is. I’m considered a bit old, because I’m 39, and I’ve had people coming through getting offered fellowships and senior lectureships at 32, 33, because I sort of took my time.’
‘I was told quite explicitly that over the last couple of years I’ve done much better and really quite well, but it’s a bit late because I should’ve done it five years ago, which is why I’m suddenly feeling terribly old at 37, which I know isn’t old. And I haven’t had time out to have kids or anything’.