MA reaction to Prof Carol Black's comments on women in medicine

In its recent report on the demography of medical schools the BMA highlighted the growing number of women students and the fact that in future there will be more women doctors than men.

The Association would not want to see a return to the old quota system of admitting women to medical school - the BMA believes in equality of access and opportunity. However we agree with Professor Black that there is an under-representation of women at the most senior levels of medicine and medico-politics and we would like to see this changed. The BMA has been looking at it own committees and trying to find ways of attracting more women doctors on to them. Already we have women doctors leading UK contract negotiations * for two major groups of doctors - junior doctors and doctors in the Staff and Associate Specialist Grade - and some women doctors in senior positions.