In reply: We agree with Wootton and Forrest that parental leave and a wider cultural shift concerning the care responsibilities of the mother are the key to ensuring women are able to succeed in the tightrope balance of a career and children. However, there are policy changes that are needed to reflect best evidence to ensure that maternity or paternity leave supports the best interest of the child and the family,1 not only the workplace.
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- 1. World Health Organization. Maternity leave legislation in support of breastfeeding: case studies around the world (Nov 2019). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-NMH-NHD-19.25 (viewed Aug 2020).
- 2. Le Floch B, Bastiaens H, Le Reste JY, et al. Which positive factors give general practitioners job satisfaction and make general practice a rewarding career? A European multicentric qualitative research by the European general practice research network. BMC Family Practice 2019; 20: 96.
- 3. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. General practice: health of the nation 2018. Melbourne: RACGP; 2018. http://www.racgp.org.au/download/Documents/Publications/Health-of-the-Nation-2018-Report.pdf (cited Sept 2020).
- 4. Hoffman R, Mullan J, Ngyuen M, Bonney A. Motherhood and medicine: Systematic review of the experiences of mothers who are doctors. Med J Aust 2020; 213: 329–334. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/213/7/motherhood-and-medicine-systematic-review-experiences-mothers-who-are-doctors
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