Today, women make up around half of all doctors and two-thirds of all medical students. So, has equality in health care finally been achieved?

When International Women’s Day began in 1909, women were still barred from entering medical school. Today women make up a growing share of the medical workforce and students in the UK. Despite this considerable progress, research indicates that today women in health care are under-represented in leadership roles, are paid less than male colleagues on average, and still all too often encounter sexism and discrimination.

To mark International Women’s Day 2023, we invited three female leaders at different stages of their careers in health care to reflect on the expectations, experiences and challenges that have shaped their professional journeys and what needs to happen to continue building a truly inclusive workforce.

To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by:

Dame Jane Dacre, emeritus professor at UCL Medical School, chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s expert panel and former president of the Royal College of Physicians
Dr Nikita Kanani, director of clinical integration at NHS England and deputy senior responsible officer for the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme and a GP in south east London
Dr Gabrielle Mathews, NHS Assembly Member (NHS England) and a doctor at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust.

Show notes

World Health Organisation (2019) Gender equity in the health workforce
World Health Organisation (2019) Delivered by women, led by men: A gender equity analysis of the global health and social workforce
British Medical Association (2021) Sexism in medicine
General Medical Council (2022) The state of medical education and practice in the UK: the workforce report
Royal College of Physicians (2009) Women and medicine: the future
The Nuffield Trust (2018) The gender pay gap in the English NHS
Institute for Fiscal Studies (2023) Progress of parents in NHS medical and nursing careers
Dacre et al (2020) Independent review into gender pay gaps in medicine

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