Feminists were outraged when a leading woman doctor advised her colleagues to "submit to sexual harassment or their careers would suffer "! She was commenting on a case where a female Neurosurgeon refused the advances of a fellow surgeon and the matter went to court, where she was awarded $ 100,000 damages. Since this case went public, she has been refused work in every public hospital in Australia.
It was claimed that the Royal Australian College of Surgeons is an "Anglo Saxon Boy's Club " and reacts unfavourably to anything that reflects on it's good standing. It has the ability to stop a career in it's tracks because of the power it holds over training and the appointment of entrants to jobs that advance their career. The fact that a court found in this woman's favour was not sufficient to have this "blacklist "lifted.
In many respects, "Medicine "is a closed shop ! It is one of the most sought after training venues at University and only entrants with near perfect SATS have a hope of gaining a place, and eventually the lucky ones start work as a registrar in a hospital on their way to lucrative private practice. The vast majority spend their medical lives as general practitioners.
Once a newly minted "doctor "is qualified, he or she faces the prospect of perhaps one day becoming a "specialist ". In the vast array of medicine each branch dealing with specific parts of the human body or treating specific diseases has evolved into a fraternity with closely guarded entrance rules. In particular, the number of doctors permitted is kept low and as a consequence it's members are highly valued in the community - and charge fees accordingly.
Specialist fraternities insist that the limited numbers accepted for training each year is not an attempt to safeguard incomes, but a means of ensuring standards are met. In most cases, joining such a fraternity as a trainee is by invitation and that is only issued after a vigorous investigation of habits and lifestyle has got the nod from the existing clique.
For a woman, this training follows a perilous path. Her advancement is totally in the hands of her peers and personal accord is essential. Her mentors have the power to stop advancement in it's tracks if they decide she lacks the skills for the level of competence demanded, and that is a decision when made that usually results in the speciality closing ranks to achieve solidarity. It is claimed that some lecherous senior doctors abuse this power by demanding sexual favours.
Feminists are deeply affronted that a leading female Neurosurgeon has seen fit to comment on what she thinks is a common problem in the medical profession by advising women to simply fold and acquiesce when asked for sex. Her take on this particular case - where the victim is denied work in the public hospital system - was a laconic "realistically she would have been much better giving him a blow job "!
No matter what laws the parliament passes the motivation for sex will continue to be a driving force in the relationship between men and women - and the seeker of sexual favours will not always be the male. What seems to have upset this medical speciality is not the fact that one party declined sex, but that the matter went to a public court hearing where medical dirty linen was aired in public.
Sexual relationships will always be a point of contention wherever seniority gives one party an advantage, but a simple refusal will usually end the matter. However, when an affronted party chooses to drag the matter into the limelight by way of a court appearance and the publicity that ensures, it takes the matter to an entirely new level. Matters of sex are best kept confidential by both the parties involved !
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