Post by Pamela Permalloo Bass

For the first time in UK history, women now outnumber men on the General Medical Council register of licensed doctors. As of March 2025, 164,440 women (50.04%) are licensed to practise medicine in the UK. Quite a milestone in a profession that, for centuries, was dominated by men. This shift hasn’t happened overnight it reflects a long term trend: *60% of UK medical students were women in 2023/24 *Women now make up the majority of NHS doctors under 50 And the picture across the UK is telling: *Women are already the majority of doctors in Scotland (54.8%) and Northern Ireland (53.5%) *England and Wales are close behind, nearing parity. In many specialties, women now lead: • General Practice 57.7% • Paediatrics 60.8% • Obstetrics & Gynaecology 63% Yet the data also reminds us that representation doesn’t equal equity. Women remain significantly under-represented in surgical specialties, and culture continues to lag behind numbers. Surveys show that 91% of women doctors report experiencing sexism at work. So while this moment is worth acknowledging and celebrating it also prompts a bigger question: What does leadership, progression, and inclusion look like in a workforce that is changing faster than its systems? Photo below of one of my favourite female doctor friends Dr. Miyuru Amarapala MD MSc ❤️ #WomenInMedicine #GenderEquity #NHS #MedicalWorkforce #Inclusion #Leadership #HealthcareCulture