The Religious Consultation
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The Asahi Shimbun (Japan), June 22, 2005 DR. MOM:A TOKYO
SUPPORT GROUP HELPS WOMEN DOCTORS Scare stories abound in the medical world, like the obstetrician who couldn't find a babysitter when her patient went into labor, so she ended up in the delivery room with her baby strapped to her back. While women have made sharp inroads in recent years into what was long considered a male bastion, relatively few women stay full-time in the profession, especially if they have children. Juggling the demands of marriage and child care has caused many women doctors to quit. These days, the sight of women doctors in hospital corridors is not uncommon. A 2000 census showed 14 percent of all doctors nationwide were women, and this spring, 34 percent of all medical school graduates were women. Despite their hard-won gains, it is not easy for such women to raise a family. Many, in fact, drop out once they become mothers-for reasons that sound all too familiar: demanding hours and a lack of day care. And this naturally has repercussions in a system that already is suffering from a shortage of doctors. A support group called Ejnet was formed Jan. 24 in Tokyo by Toshiko Takino to help shape, support and restart the careers of women doctors nationwide. It has about 100 members. Ejnet is a pun on the words enjo, which means support, and (en)joy, or joi, which means both female doctor and network. Takino, who operates a women's clinic in Osaka, said she was aghast at the number of women doctors who fell off the career track. Perhaps it's not that surprising, given the grueling hours, overnight shifts and late-night calls that are the norm at hospitals. At an Ejnet symposium in Osaka on May 29, participants were given tips on how to juggle their jobs and family matters. The session also advised women doctors planning to return to hospital work or start their own practices. Physician Satoko Satomi, 33, talked about her experiences. Satomi's 36-year-old husband, Hiroyuki, is also a doctor, whom she met while they were both med students. Not yet a mother, she told the audience, "I am starting to get antsy, wondering when, if ever, I can start a family." The Satomis have not had it easy. For a while, their jobs forced them to live in separate cities-she in Fukui Prefecture, and her husband in Osaka. Now, Satoko works for Fukui University Hospital, while Hiroyuki heads the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Saiseikai Hospital in Fukui Prefecture. University hospitals are notoriously short-staffed. Last year, Satoko nearly always returned home well after midnight. If Hiroyuki got home earlier, say by 9 p.m., he would cook dinner and wait up for his wife. Having a sit-down dinner at normal hours was a luxury. Still, Satoko feels lucky. Starting this year, the university let her transfer to a research job in its graduate school. Now in a less-demanding job, Satoko is thinking of motherhood. "Traditionally, the medical profession has been mostly a male domain," she says. "The system completely lacks ways to accommodate doctors with families who need child-care support." Takino, the woman who started Ejnet, says her mother and father were both doctors in World War II. She said her mother gave up her medical career to help her father run his hospital. "Now that more women are doctors, it is natural that many want to lead regular lives, one that allows for having children," she says. "But you can only go so far under the current system." Ejnet is conducting a nationwide survey of women in the medical profession. Next, it will propose measures to enable women to balance work and family. The group is also considering offering advice on starting a private practice, which is ideal for women doctors who want control over their schedules. Takamitsu Fujimaki, 48, a research associate at the department of neurology at Teikyo University School of Medicine, polled graduates of Tokyo Women's Medical University. He found that up to a decade after graduating, fewer than 10 percent of women doctors reported dropping out to be either homemakers or work part-time. But past the 15-year mark, the figure jumped to 23 percent. "We can see the pattern here," Fujimaki said. "Marriage and child care are driving women doctors out of their careers." Fujimaki and his wife, Wakae, 49, a pediatrician and lecturer at Tokyo Women's Medical University, raised three children. "We walk a constant tightrope," Wakae says. "One time, our babysitter suddenly quit, and we had to send our kids to my parents. I also took time off work." She pointed out a common problem. "There are few nurseries that offer flexible services. Work schedules that allow shorter hours and accommodate changes in your lifestyle are practically nonexistent." A survey of women doctors working at university hospitals, conducted in 2001 by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, found that of the total 85 mothers, 40 percent returned to work after guaranteed maternity leaves. Long child-care leaves are not welcomed. And some hospitals try to skirt the issue by hiring mostly men. "Shunning women won't solve the problem," said Yoshiki Seino, president of Osaka Koseinenkin Hospital. According to Seino's research, 30 percent to 40 percent of women doctors end up quitting in their 30s, just as they are entering their prime working years. But as the number of women entering the field continues to grow, eventually their numbers will have to be reckoned with, say experts. At Osaka Koseinenkin Hospital, flextime schedules that allow shorter hours with conditions comparable to full-time staff are making a positive difference. The hospital reports that fewer people are quitting. It also is getting more job inquiries. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare budgeted 82 million yen this fiscal year to fund weeklong retraining courses at regional medical facilities for doctors returning to work. It also is trying to lure women pediatricians out of early retirement. Ministry data show there were about 14,500 pediatricians nationwide in 2002; of those, only about 30 percent were women. |