Broken Wings: Issues Faced By Female Doctors in Pakistan Regarding Career Development

We often read slogans like "Without women, no development" but are women really advancing? We still need to know 1) whether women’s career paths are as smooth as that of men’s? 2) Can they claim and bargain for their desired compensations and promotions; 3) 0r they can easily relocate themselves easily to some organization or place where they may find all that is desired by them? 4) Can they build and sustain their own power networks; 5) can they organize and run professional bodies and societies on their own? And finally we see women facilitating others everywhere but how often do we see women leading others? This qualitative study aims to identify reasons why women fail to pursue their career as seriously as men. What are the social and psychological factors that are pushing women behind? What values and traits are missing in women that they fail to acquire leadership roles in life? What can be done to help and guide the women struggling in their careers towards better decision making. The study comprise of report developed after interpretive analysis of the qualitative survey done with lady doctors working in national hospitals in three districts of Punjab, Pakistan supported by indepth interviews of doctors working with Pakistan Medical Association and telephonic survey with doctors who did not pursue their career. After triangulation and analysis of the evidence, the researcher reached at an interesting conclusion, that lady doctors must learn to balance between their emotional and professional needs to stay in the field and advance in career.