Call to nominate women in pharmacy who deserve greater recognition for their work

A nationwide search for unrecognised women in pharmacy who are making a measurable difference to patient care and/or their colleagues begins today.

The Pharmaceutical Journal ‘Women to Watch’ initiative aims to identify and profile future female pharmacy leaders who have yet to receive national recognition, and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Nominations are encouraged for all women working within pharmacy, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, students, preregistration trainees and medicines counter assistants, of any age and at any stage of their career. Self-nominations are also encouraged.

The final Women to Watch list will be launched in summer 2020, with each nominee profiled in The Pharmaceutical Journal  as part of a wider programme of work by the RPS inclusion and diversity group.

The endeavour comes after studies identified that women are less likely to shout about their achievements than men, even if well-deserved. And in pharmacy, data from 1,100 full-time pharmacists suggested a statistically significant pay gap of 6.4% in favour of male pharmacists, which equates to women earning £3,328 less per year than men. This is less than the 2019 national gender pay gap of 8.9%.

Senior leaders from across the profession have expressed support for the initiative.

Claire Anderson, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) English Pharmacy Board and professor of social pharmacy at the University of Nottingham, said: “As women, we often don’t self-promote the work we do, and this campaign is a great opportunity to do that.”

Reena Barai, pharmacy owner and National Pharmacy Association board member, said: “I’ve been guilty of calling myself ‘just’ a woman pharmacist. But we all know people who are so much more than ‘just’ female pharmacy professionals. This is your chance to either put yourself forward or to nominate a female colleague so that you/they get the recognition that is rightfully deserved.”   

Helen Pinney, pharmacy technician and service development officer for the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said that: “Celebrating the specific achievements of women is still seen by some as unnecessary, unhelpful, or even counterproductive, but it is because of these continuing attitudes that we should continue to do so.”

And Mohammed Hussein, senior clinical lead for NHS Digital and fellow of the RPS stated: “I am proud to be an ally for an initiative for greater recognition of women in pharmacy, especially looking through an intersectional lens that sees more than one protected characteristic”.

Deadline for nominations is 23:00 on Friday, 31 July 2020.