Abstract
We need to talk about women GPs. Whilst we know that experiences of burnout, stress and anxiety are currently affecting both men and women in General Practice, women GPs encounter both internal and external pressures that are unique to them. For example, women GPs are more likely to juggle family responsibilities in addition to their work. Physiologically they will experience at least one of the following: menstruation, menopause, childbirth, infertility, miscarriage, and/or stillbirth. They also encounter limited mentoring, and a lack of leadership opportunities, as well as one of the worst pay gaps in medicine. Women GPs are often sought out by both patients and colleagues to take on work that demands more emotional labour. They are also given work that may lead to an increase in workload including women’s health and children’s appointments, and/or supporting teams. These gendered pressures have the potential to contribute to and exacerbate their mental and physical ill health, as well as their success at work. Unsurprisingly women GPs experience more emotional exhaustion at work, higher rates of burnout, stress, anxiety, and greater job strain.