Surgery: no profession for a lady

Abstract There are currently over 700 active female F ellows of the R oyal A ustralasian C ollege of S urgeons, accounting for just less than 10% of the surgical workforce. The first female F ellow of the C ollege was L illian V iolet C ooper, of Q ueensland, who was admitted to F ellowship on 17 J une 1927. Over the following half century, 32 women obtained F ellowships, initially awarded on the basis of experience and clinical practice and then, from 1947, by passing the F ellowship examination. This paper will examine the contribution of some of these early pioneer women, not just as surgeons, but as role models, advocates of women in professional life and champions of equality.