A recent report by the World Economic Forum predicted that within the global workplace, gender equality will not be reached until the year 2186(1). Dentistry is unfortunately not exempt from such a finding. By 2020, over half of dentists in the UK will be female(2), but the temptation to use this as a barometer for measuring equality between the genders may be misleading. In reality, the relative percentages of male and female GDPs presents only one aspect of this complex and multifaceted issue.
Current challenges
With regard to the 13 specialities – women are underrepresented within every field other than the following four areas: dental public health, special care dentistry, oral microbiology and paediatric dentistry(3). Arguably, healthcare professionals treat all types of patients, and it would therefore be conducive for the clinicians treating them to also reflect this diverse patient base. Regrettably, delving further into each of these areas where women are seemingly represented equally reveals that this may not necessarily be so. Although women make up over 60% of community dentists, it has been reported that of those offered promotions, only around 30% are women(4).
The level of involvement of women within leadership roles also presents a problem to tackle. Currently, the principle executive committee of the BDA has two female members out of a total of fifteen. Judith Husband, a member of the committee, has previously stated: “Without women in senior leadership positions throughout dentistry, it will be difficult to engage the full profession [in shaping dentistry] and a divided group is never as strong as when unified by common goals and interests. (5)” This eloquently highlights the importance of equal representation within leadership roles.
Outside the realm of discussions regarding equality, the feminisation of the future dental workforce also presents its own future challenges and issues. Fiercely debated and contentious within both dentistry and other professions such as medicine, it is a topic meriting discussion in its own right which we hope to explore in greater depth in future blog posts.
Progress so far
While this paints a rather disheartening picture of the current situation, it is also important to acknowledge and celebrate the great progress women have made throughout history, right from the beginnings of the involvement of women within the profession. In 1895 Lilian Murray was the first qualified woman licentiate in the UK, after having been refused admission into the London dental schools, eventually qualifying from Edinburgh. It would take until 1912 for the Royal College to allow a woman, Lily Fanny Pain, to qualify. This itself was 16 years before the “Equal Franchise Act” was passed in parliament, allowing women over 21 to vote, putting into perspective how different the landscape was and the difficulties these women faced in achieving their qualifications. Lilian Murray would then go on to become the first female president of the BDA in 1946, a remarkable achievement. In 2010, the General Dental Council appointed its first female Chief Executive – Evylnne
Gilvarry, who served within her role for five years. Over time, the number of females within the profession has also increased dramatically- surprisingly, before 1995 less than 30% of the workforce comprised of women.
The future
To this end, our society aims to build on the good before us, intending to understand and challenge some of the complex barriers to equality within the profession. We hope to celebrate the great work women are currently achieving, and encourage mentorship and guidance to help the next generation reach their full potential. Vitally, it is important to understand that this is not a female-only issue. As UN Women state: “Equality between women and men is seen both as a human rights issue and as a precondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centered development. (6)” Therefore, although it is helpful to provide a platform within which specific discussions may be held and opportunities created, our intention is to craft a fully inclusive space, welcoming both women and men to join and support us in our endeavour for a more diverse and equal workforce.
Sources
1. World Economic Forum. Prospects for workplace gender equality slips to 2186. Weblog. [Accessed 2016 Nov]. Available from: https://www.weforum.org/press/2016/10/beyond-our-lifetimes-prospects-for-workplace-gender-equality-slip-to-2186/
2. Teli, Sameera. MDDUS. Gender shift – The changing face of dentistry. Weblog. [Accessed 2016 Nov] Available from: http://www.mddus.com/resources/resource-type/publications/soundbite/soundbite-issue-09/gender-shift-the-changing-face-of-dentistry/
3. General Dental council. Facts and figures. [Accessed 2016 Nov] Available from: http://www.gdc-uk.org/Newsandpublications/factsandfigures/Documents/Facts%20and%20Figures%20from%20the%20GDC%20register%20October%202015.pdf
4. F M J Stewart & J R Drummond. Women and the world of dentistry. British Dental Journal: 188, 7 - 8 (2000)
5. Pacey L. Investigation: Have women changed the dental workforce? British Dental Journal 216, 4 - 5 (2014)
6. Nations U. OSAGI gender Mainstreaming - concepts and definitions [Accessed 2016 Nov]. Available from: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm