The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) was proudly represented today by Dr Michelle Atchison at the Australian launch of "Achieving gender justice for global health equity: the Lancet Commission on gender and global health".  

The Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health is a multi-disciplinary group of experts who work at the intersection of gender and health. Their new research, evidence and recommendations highlights how achieving gender equity benefits everyone, by improving health outcomes and fostering more inclusive workplaces globally. 

The RANZCP welcomes the Commission's findings and recommendations, many of which strongly align with the College’s own Gender Equity Action Plan, launched in August 2023. The RANZCP’s plan is a commitment to embedding gender equity principles into its everyday business, supporting members, training, education, community engagement, and mental health policy leadership. 

Several key areas of synergy between the Lancet Commission's recommendations and the RANZCP's Gender Equity Action Plan, including:

• Promoting Workplace Equality: The Lancet Commission advocates for legislative measures supporting workplace equality, monitoring pay audits, and developing indicators for improved gender justice in professional progression and appointments. Mirroring this, the RANZCP's plan includes encouraging and promoting women in College leadership positions to mentor, working towards gender balance in RANZCP nominations to external representative roles, and continually monitoring gender balance in senior leadership both within the College and in workplaces.
• Strengthening the Evidence Base and Understanding: The Commission highlights the need for robust evidence and a deeper understanding of gender in health. The RANZCP's Action Plan commits to reviewing its syllabus to include components on women's mental health and gender equity, and developing and hosting educational events and thematic streams at College conferences relating to women's mental health, women in psychiatry, male allyship, and support for gender neutral or non-binary individuals.
• Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms: The Lancet Commission calls for integrating health into gender monitoring mechanisms and funding platforms to identify shortcomings and increase accountability. The RANZCP's plan outlines a robust monitoring framework, including annual reporting of College gender equity data, tracking the number of women mentors, and the retention rates of women trainees. The College has standardised reporting on gender equity metrics in our College-wide annual review.
• Resourcing and Support for Flexible Work Arrangements: This resonates with the RANZCP's commitment to provide resources for senior leaders to address gender-related issues in their workplaces, supporting trainees through flexible policies, normalising part-time and job-share roles, and encouraging the uptake of flexible work arrangements and parental leave for all genders. The College has already implemented a fairer and more equitable model for its training fee structures and plans to resource members to advocate for diverse working arrangements in workplaces.

The RANZCP is committed to its Gender Equity Action Plan as a living document, continually adapting to ensure sustained and meaningful improvement towards gender equity in psychiatry.