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Letters to the Editor
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Women in pharmacy
Profession needs a strategy to manage female membership
From Dr C. E. Heading, MRPharmS
Several items in The Pharmaceutical Journal over recent weeks have drawn
attention to aspects of pharmacy where gender-linked issues have affected
how female pharmacists conduct their professional lives. These include
letters concerning representation
on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s
Council (most recently, PJ, 10 June, p677), difficulties
with locum employment (ibid) and new problems for women
practising under their maiden names (PJ, 20 May, p590).
It seems increasingly clear that it is now time for the profession to
adopt a clear strategy for managing its female membership.
This may seem extraordinary but many successful corporate organisations
now respond to the fact that female and male career patterns tend to
differ. In order for employers to safeguard the investment they make
in staff, they have found that a strategy for becoming “women-friendly” is
essential. Some of the biggest names in UK banking and accountancy, some
in the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries along with several
in other sectors are happy to become companies that women want to work
for. Novartis, Lilly, HSBC and Ernst & Young are but a few examples.
The commitment by these women-friendly companies covers many aspects
of career progression and maintenance, and the extent to which they promote
this would astound many people more familiar with the gender-blind approach
often adopted by government.
It would take too long to make a detailed case for gender-awareness in
pharmacy decision-making here, but we all know from research already
conducted for the Society that distinctions are apparent between the
male and female pharmacy workforce. The letters mentioned above demonstrate
that gender-related difficulties occur at many levels of organisation,
and reports from the Women’s National Commission demonstrate that
an analogous range of issues are experienced in the national workforce.
Some solutions are being found by forward-looking organisations, and
with the recent and ongoing changes in governance of the pharmacy profession,
this would seem the right time for the profession to consider following
the corporate example.
Christine Heading
President,
National Association of Women Pharmacists
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