RPS board member: Confidence a barrier to women in pharmacy leadership
Pharmacy should “celebrate” that it is “female-friendly”, but must tackle why very few women reach leadership roles, a Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) board member has said.
Despite “so many women working in pharmacy”, a lack of confidence remains one of the biggest barriers that prevents women from securing leadership roles, RPS English pharmacy board member Thorrun Govind told C+D last week (October 7).
Ms Govind said she is using her profile to “encourag[e] other women to get involved in pharmacy politics and leadership”.
She urged other women pharmacists in the sector to “put yourself out there”. That means “accepting that you might get rejected for nine out of ten roles…but it’s that tenth one which is everything”, she said. “You’ve just got to keep trying.”
Ms Govind – who was elected to the RPS board in June – said “people choose pharmacy because of the flexible work available and the different areas of practice” – including the role of GP practice pharmacist, and the opportunity for a portfolio career. “Let’s celebrate that,” she said.
Watch the video to see C+D digital reporter Isabel Finch interview Ms Govind, ahead of her appearance on the ‘Women in Pharmacy’ panel at the Pharmacy Show in Birmingham.
Do you think pharmacy is a female-friendly profession?