International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated every year on 8 March, is a day to recognise and celebrate women all over the world. This year’s theme of Balance for Better is about working towards a gender-balanced world and aims to create awareness of gender-balance in government, business, media, sports coverage, and in all aspects of life where equality isn’t present.
To celebrate IWD this year the ACA Women In Chiropractic (WIC) committee have dedicated 4 – 10 March to highlight the day and give the opportunity for different regions to host events at different times throughout the week.
For women in the profession, this balance resonates beyond balance in the work place, but balance within themselves. With the goals of WIC to support female chiropractors through their unique struggles and hardships, the need for support stems from the goal of more Australians receiving chiropractic care.
“I became involved purely because when I realised 50% of chiropractic university graduate students are females and it was not a 50% split in terms of chiropractic registration, meaning we are losing a percentage of our chiropractors every year. I don’t want them slipping through the cracks because they feel unsupported. The more we support women in the profession, the more Australians can receive chiropractic care,” Chair of WIC Dr Bettina Tornatora said.
The issue of a work/life balance is a significant topic of discussion, constantly raised at different WIC events, live forums and in the recent WIC member survey.
“Women often describe the gut-wrenching anguish they experience between their roles at home and in practice. They are really passionate both, and both involve care-giving. It has been said so many times by women that when they are at their practices, they feel the pull to be at home with the family, and when at home, they feel the pull to be at the practice.”
For the past seven years WIC has been committed to connecting with women in the profession, recognising issues that specifically affect them, creating a discussion around these issues and then initiating action.
Dr Tornatora believes that the question should not be around balancing the different aspects of life but creating a sense of harmony instead. Understanding that sometimes different parts of life will need to take priority over others, then restoring the harmony that’s best for the person.
With the most important resource for women struggling with balance and harmony being the network of chiropractors, Dr Tornatora recommends reaching out to other women in the profession who can share their stories, or simply contacting the WIC if you are unsure where to start.
“If a female practitioner came to me asking for advice, I would be looking to put her in physical contact with someone nearby that has had a similar experience. One of the things WIC is committed to doing is to share the stories from those who have managed the process of practice and home to enable references to be collected.”
Take a closer look at the group by visiting the WIC webpage.
The ACA would like to wish all women a Happy International Women’s Day!
