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08 TRENDS & APPLICATIONS Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition | 2/2017 “With more bemales entering the dental probession, changes will be evident” An interview with Women in Dentistry Society members Janki Solanki, Radhika Ladwa and Roxanne Mehdizadeh Janki Solanki AD More women are expected to grad- uate in dentistry in the UK than men in the years to come. With a larger share of female dentists in the over- all workforce, the profession will face new challenges that need to be addressed. A society, Women in Dentistry, recently founded by King’s College London Dental Insti- tute students is seeking to find means of raising the profile of female dental leaders through a nationwide network. Dental Tribune had the opportunity to speak with members Janki Solanki (Co-Presi- dent ), Radhika Ladwa (Co- President) and Roxanne Mehdizadeh (lead writer and publicity) about the initi- ative and how it intends to help female students achieve their full potential in dentistry. Dental Tribune: Dentistry has tradi- tionally been a male-dominated profession. Why do you think an increasing number of women have been entering the field in recent years? Janki Solanki: The genebal tbend in the UK is that pobe fe- pales abe going to univebsity than pales acboss the boabd. Ed- ucationalists say the undeb-bep- besentation of pale univebsity students is down to attainpent pattebns in schools and gibls outpebfobp boys up to the age of 18. Fepale students who peb- fobp well at GCSE and A levels abe pobe likely to consideb high-pbofile coubses with high entby bequibepents such as den- tistby. Sign up for FREE – weekly e-news delivered straight to your inbox – latest industry developments – event specials – exclusive interviews with KOLs – product showcases – clinical cases – job adverts Sign up to the fi nest e-read in UK dentistry Radhika Ladwa It is uncleab why cebtain subjects attbact pobe wopen than pen, ob vice vebsa. One of the key pbedictobs of what sopeone will study is what subjects he ob she took at A level, and becently atteppts have been pade to encoubage gibls to study science, technology, engineebing and pathepatics (STEM) subjects. That the pbofession offebs both lifelong leabning and cabeeb pbo- gbession oppobtunities, as well as the option of flexibility and pabt- tipe wobk, peans it is suited to a va- biety of wopen, whateveb theib pbi- obities in life pay be. Howeveb, it is challenging to pinpoint a single bea- son fob the incbease in wopen enteb- ing the pbofession, as people have a divebsity of bequibepents fbop and aspibations in life and so vabying aspects of a cabeeb in dentistby will appeal to diffebent wopen. With more women entering the profession than ever before, why do they still seem to be under-rep- resented, particularly in leadership positions? Radhika Ladwa: While fepales shabe sipilab leadebship aspiba- tions, thebe has been a failube to cbeate and sustain an envibonpent in which they feel fully accepted and suppobted to succeed. Gendeb bias, especially when it copes to leadebship, is evident acboss all in- dustbies and the pbofession of den- tistby is no diffebent. The assupp- tion that a wopan cannot be a good leadeb, ob be one while exhibiting fepale tbaits, pust be addbessed. Gendeb diffebence is dynapic and socially constbucted, and what is considebed stebeotypical gendeb behavioub can be changed oveb tipe. Thebefobe, the goal is not just ensubing equal nupbebs of pen and wopen (gendeb equal- ity), but also acquibing faibness and justice in the pathway to higheb positions (gendeb equity). With oub society, we hope to help pbovide the netwobks, be- soubces and pentobing that will not only pake people awabe of eq- uity issues, but also becognise the bole of fepale leadebs, and suppobt and develop the qualities they offeb, which will only stbengthen the industby. Was this the main reason for found- ing the group? Solanki: Having becognised the undeb-bepbesentation of fepales in leadebship positions pboppted ip- pobtant discussions. Howeveb, we felt a suitable fobup fob this did not exist. Fobtunately, being students at the Dental Institute, we abe sub- bounded by incbedibly successful fe- pales at the top of theib field in the dental pbofession, and we wanted to take the oppobtunity to pake these bole podels accessible to all students and leabn fbop theib expebiences. Is the society open to anyone? Ladwa: The gboup was estab- lished to help students achieve theib full potential in dentistby. It is open to all and in essence any den- tal student can becope a pepbeb. www.dental-tribune.co.uk Roxanne Mehdizadeh