MWIA

The Dutch Society of Female Doctors, founded in 1933, has three main objectives:

• consolidation and improvement of the position of women doctors by utilizing their talents
• to emphasize the importance of gender in medicine
• providing a network for support and inspiration MWIA:
  The MWIA is the association of Medical Women representing women doctors from all five continents, organized in different regions. The Netherlands are part of the Northern European region. The aims and goals of MWIA are to promote the cooperation of Medical Women in different countries, to actively work against gender related inequalities in the medical profession and to offer Medical Women the opportunity to meet and to discuss questions concerning the health and well-being of humanity.

History

The Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) representing women doctors from all five continents. It is non-political, non-sectarian and non-profit making organisation.The association was founded in 1919 and is therefore one of the oldest professional bodies at the international level.
At the time when MWIA was founded, women doctors were a curiosity, and there was a need for a forum to discuss common concerns. Women physicians being the minority is no more, as women constitute at least 50% of many medical schools. As women become the majority of practicing physicians, a new set of concerns will emerge.

Today, MWIA is a parent organization, whose members represent 90 countries in all five continents. The different cultural backgrounds, medical traditions and problems of its members provide a stimulating forum.