Policy Recommendations for Women in the Workplace

Much progress has been made for mothers in medicine over the past two decades. However, more workplace changes are needed to improve the maternal-child health of women physicians. As a follow up to the Report of the Task Force on Women in Pediatrics, a recent study of US pediatric departments and training programs suggested specific improvements for the specialty. These family-friendly changes included clear, written parental leave policies; improved lactation facilities for breastfeeding mothers; better accessibility to quality child care; and flexible work schedules to accommodate the changing demands of family life (McPhillips, 2007; Report of the Task Force on Women in Pediatrics, 2005; Stanton, 2007). Here, we present five key areas where policy changes will have a tremendous positive impact for all working mothers.

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