Why am I a member of the Women in SEM Advisory Group?
Sport and Exercise Medicine is a rewarding career, that has a variety of opportunities and flexibility, which makes it an attractive option for women in medicine. My journey from hospital training to fellowship has taken me across state and international borders, working in large and small private practices, supporting sporting events and teams, completing research, growing my skills in governance and leadership and now to business ownership and health education. This was possible while taking parental leave twice and moving to part time work to support a growing family.
My experience has lent itself to discussions and interactions with women who are also juggling high aspirations in their career and caring roles. I've noticed a concerning pattern of women disproportionately being unable to take on leadership or other career advancing opportunities and delaying a return to work after becoming mothers due to factors such as inflexible work or access to part time work. Meanwhile, their male counterparts seem only briefly affected in their career trajectory. Australian data supports this observation, where on average, women’s earnings drop 55% from their pre-pregnancy levels, the ‘motherhood penalty’ persisting even where the mother is the breadwinner (Treasury: Women's Budget Statement, October 2022). In addition to having children, gender stereotypes harm women’s perceived suitability for and recruitment into roles crucial for their progression.
Although these barriers have also driven entrepreneurial and innovative ways of working in some, it also leads to a hole in the pipeline of talented and highly trained individuals progressing to positions of leadership, driving systemic change. Hearing these stories awoke my passion to be a part of the solution in addressing systemic inequity, and empowering individuals to realise their own potential and driving change from the top down. Across the board, women in sport are seeing increased opportunity, exposure and commercial success and it is an exciting time to be championing women in sports medicine.
Areas of interest
• Adolescent Sport and Exercise Medicine
• Female Athlete Health
• Health and Performance education in schools and the community
More about me : Northernbeachessportsmed.com.au