New research shows female doctors and other medical professionals are facing major issues in the workplace including significant work/life conflict, gender bias, bullying and burnout.
The research was carried out by the union for senior doctors and dentists and was prompted by an earlier study which highlighted the growing number of women in the medical profession suffering from burnout.
The lead researcher says unless the issue is addressed, the country's shortage of doctors will get worse as more women avoid the industry.
Principal analyst of the study, Dr Charlotte Chambers, says the issues of well-being seem to disproportionately affect women in the medical workforce. It stems from earlier research showing a third of senior doctors are bullied and the majority of them are women.
"We actually need to recognise there is a problem especially with some of these thorny questions around gender bias," she says.
It also found work/life balance a major problem, with most female medical professionals experiencing burnout.
Fourteen women were comprehensively interviewed nationwide, all of them faced the same issues.
"They all spoke to similar themes around if they’re working part-time they wouldn’t be regarded as well by their colleagues. Doing medicine would be seen as a bit of a hobby," said Ms Chambers.
She said some of those interviewed felt they were constantly being stereotyped and faced a persistent gender bias.
Emergency doctor, Tanya Wilton, says she thinks bad behaviour should be called out.
"People don’t accept that because it does become pervasive and people accept it as the new norm that it’s okay to be like that," she says.
She believes it stems from being overworked and overstressed.
"I think most people working in the health system are actually good people, they want to be doing the right thing but I think the culture and the system currently puts people under immense pressure," says Dr Wilton.
The health ministry says reports of workplace bullying are taken seriously and supports a taskforce that is looking into the issue.
Dr Wilton is part of a women’s only Facebook group which offers support and advice. She hopes to see more female doctors in leadership roles and to ensure women have a stronger voice in the profession.
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