Dr Stannage said she had to learn the hard way not to feel isolated despite being one of only three female orthopaedic surgeons in WA.
The former Presbyterian Ladies’ College student is a surgeon at Princess Margaret Hospital and spoke to current PLC students at an International Women’s Day (IWD) assembly last Friday.
Dr Stannage joked that because there were very few women in her field of work, she rarely had to wait in line for the toilet.
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READ NOW‘I can’t believe it’s been 25 years since I was last sitting here,’ she said.
‘When I was younger, I loved going to football games with my dad but I especially loved it when people got injured.
‘Sport has always been important to me and I am hoping to run my first marathon in New York this year.’
Dr Stannage is involved in overseas aid and development in Tonga, the Solomon Islands and Madagascar.
‘Resilience and perseverance are important but so is compassion,’ she said.
Principal Beth Blackwood said IWD honoured the work of the suffragettes who fought for women to have the right to vote, but also served as a reminder of the inequalities that still existed between men and women.
‘Women will earn less than their male counterparts in the same job,’ Ms Blackwood said.
‘One in five women will experience domestic violence.’
Ms Blackwood said there were still very few women in leadership and managerial positions at senior levels.
See Opinion, page 8