女性医師と移植医療・腎移植—腎移植領域における女性医療職エンパワメント推進のために何が必要か—

抄録

In recent years, the working environment of women in Japan has changed dramatically. According to a report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2018, 44% of the total working population is women, which has been on an upward trend since 2012. In the medical field, the proportions of female doctors and dentists are both 20%. However, in total, about 80% of women are in the workplace, which has the highest proportion of women among all occupations.

Only 6% of the number of doctors certified by the Japanese Transplant Society is female doctors. In the results of a questionnaire survey to female surgeons and urologists, the economic power of the female doctor was low compared with that of the male doctor, and women doctors don’t have time for their hobbies or fun because of child-rearing and housework. Transplantation care for patients is performed not only by doctors; many female workers such as nurses, coordinators, pharmacists, nutritionists, and case workers play a role. So, we have to create an environment in which women can work with life satisfaction.

The most important factor in preventing the career development of female medical professionals is the employment gaps associated with childbirth and child-rearing. In order to enable continuous work, it is necessary to choose a good environment for themselves. This means knowing for themselves whether there is a diversity of support and work styles in the workplace, and to choose such a workplace. In addition, it is necessary for the employer to actively engage in task shifting and build up an environment for workers’ work-life balance. We, transplant surgeons, reaffirm that our medical system is capable of workshare, and should create a system that allows women to pursue becoming a transplant professional.