They work as chief physicians, resident physicians or clinic directors: Eleven female doctors report on their experiences as women in a male-dominated professional environment – and how they still found their way.
“There were doctors who didn’t take me seriously”: Prof. Britta Siegmund now works as a clinic director at the Berlin Charité
© Julia Steinigeweg
Prof. Britta Siegmund, Clinic Director at the Berlin Charité, Vice President of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
My great luck was my PhD supervisor. He gave me maximum support and is still an important mentor for me today. I also owe the fact that I went abroad after my studies to his perseverance. When I got back, he offered me a job in Munich and encouraged me to apply for research funding. With a program for researchers in early career phases, I was not only able to fund my own position, but also a small team. That was quite unusual – a young resident running her own research group instead of mentoring someone else. Of course there were also doctors at first who didn’t take me seriously. But these successes not only gave me independence at a very early stage of my career, but also the self-confidence I needed to take further steps. Together with the German Research Foundation, I am therefore trying to convince more women to have their ideas funded. So far, they only make up about a quarter of those receiving funding. And that’s not because their applications would be rejected more often. Once women decide to apply, their chances are sometimes even better than those of men because the quality of their applications is very high.