I had a beautiful post planned for today, a celebration of how wonderful we really are, and that everyday should be a celebration of our awesomeness.
Today we should all be focusing on how far we have come in just a few decades.
In Australia there is very little we can’t do. With hard work and devotion, we can choose our career and thrive at the top. We can vote, enter parliament, run a company or rule the country!
BUT, there is a reality that is not often spoken about that does exist in work places around the county.
This headline made my stomach churn…..
‘Sexual harassment rife in medical profession, senior surgeon Dr Gabrielle McMullin says’
The article highlights the plight of a female surgeon who chose not to provide sexual favours, puts in a complaint, won a court case, but has never been able to get a job in Australisia. Dr McMullin recommends to female medical students that they would be better off take part in such advances rather than reporting them. The article was published on ABC.net.au and you can read it here.
Why did this upset me so much?
As I am writing this Miss WW is not down at the pub enjoying a Sunday Sesh with her friends, instead she chose to lock herself in her room and study. She is on the long road of hard work required to realise her dream of becoming a Neurosurgeon.
We have lost count of the number of people who have asked her if she has chosen this path so she could make a lot of money. For Miss WW this is not part of the equation. She wants to be a pioneer, make a difference, discover something new, try things that may have never been tried before. This is why she chose neurosurgery, we know so much about the human body, but the brain still holds so much mystery. Money if it comes will be a bonus (and allow her to buy even more makeup)!
The thought of her working so hard, to possibly have to trade sexual favours to achieve her dreams brings a tear to my eye.
Another skill she is going to have to master….. how to politely and powerfully deal with inappropriate advances.
She might look like a Barbie doll, but she has already had plenty of practice at warding off unsuitable admirers, she is just going to have to get even better at it.
I truly hope she never has to face this sort of discrimination, but the reality is that she might.
In this time of equality, have we really come that far?