Historically, dentistry was an overwhelmingly male dominated field, with the first woman British dentist Lilian Lindsay qualifying in 1895. It is now shifting as more women are entering the profession. During my time at UCLan, 59.26% (16 of 27) of dental students were female. However, the educational events I attended had a majority of male speakers, perhaps reflecting the gender variance 20 years ago. To reflect the rise in female dentists, I feel that more female educators are needed at events currently.
We are still 200 years away from closing the gender pay gap! With campaigns such as #MeToo within the last five years, there is still active work to be done. According to The Guardian, 2017: Britain joined Czech Republic among EU's 28 member states in having made no significant advances in reducing inequality levels including the workplace, income and education. Some cohorts show that women are too afraid to stand up for what they believe in.
Yet, there are so many empowering women within the profession that give me daily motivation and inspiration. It should be our duty to protect, cherish and support each other- not compete, even if it is intimidating being a younger woman.
Ref:
Comments