Australian Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop, has told a parliamentary committee of inquiry into balancing work and family issues, that Australia is being short-changed and left with a dearth of lawyers and doctors because employers are failing to attract and retain women who have children.She said the country was not getting "value for money" out of the millions spent training female lawyers and doctors who could not be lured back into the workforce after having children.
She told today's hearing that many professional women had said their careers "plateaued" when they had children, yet the legal and medical sectors could not afford to lose their skills.
After the hearing she said, "We face an ageing population: the only source for increasing our workforce is from mature-age workers, women returning to the workforce and migrants. Utilising the skills and education of women is very important in that mix".
