International Women's Day 2026

 
The theme for UN Women Global International Women's Day 2026 is, 'Balance the scales'. The theme is a promise that every woman and girl – regardless of background or identity – should be safe, heard, and free to shape their own lives. Yet in 2026, too many across Australia and the world are still denied that fair go. Discriminatory laws, policies, and practices persist. Gender-based violence remains widespread, and structural barriers block too many from seeking or receiving justice. Equality is not about advantage for some; it's about dignity, safety, and fairness for all.

This year AOA celebrated International Women's Day with a social campaign across LinkedIn and Facebook, highlighting our member's career journey in medicine and supporting organisations, and how they pave the way for the next generation of female orthopaedic surgeons. 
 
Should you have any questions or would like to get involved in our diversity initiatives, please contact aoa@aoa.org.au

Balancing the scales: Leadership, visibility, and the evolving face of orthopaedics 

By foot and ankle surgeon Dr Meghan Dares, Wollongong, NSW

When Dr Meghan Dares entered medical school, orthopaedic surgery was not an obvious destination.

Like many trainees, she had little early exposure to the specialty. It was through mentorship and seeing firsthand the profound impact orthopaedic intervention can have on mobility and quality of life, that she began to consider a career in a field historically dominated by men.

Today, Dr Dares is a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon based in Wollongong and a co-founder of Joint Vision Orthopaedic Group. Her pathway has included training and practice across Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, with leadership roles within public hospitals, and ongoing involvement in research and education.

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Her journey reflects both the progress made within the profession and the work still to be done.

Orthopaedic surgery has traditionally had one of the lowest proportions of female practitioners among medical specialties. While representation has steadily improved over recent years, the numbers remain comparatively small. For Dr Dares, that reality was not a deterrent but it did shape her awareness of visibility and mentorship.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” she says. “When junior doctors and medical students see women operating, leading departments, publishing research and shaping systems of care, it changes what feels possible". 

Her career has included appointment as director of orthopaedics at Wollongong Public Hospital, one of the first women in New South Wales to hold such a position. In that role, mentorship became a core focus, particularly supporting trainees navigating the demands of surgical training.

Leadership, however, extends beyond representation.

As chief clinical officer and co-founder of Joint Vision Orthopaedic Group, Dr Dares has helped build a multidisciplinary orthopaedic model that integrates surgery, imaging, physiotherapy and rehabilitation under one roof. The approach prioritises communication, early active recovery and patient education, reflecting contemporary evidence around functional outcomes and team-based care.

“In orthopaedics, outcomes are not just about the operation itself,” she explains. “They are about rehabilitation, communication and empowering patients to understand their recovery.”

Her subspecialty focus in foot and ankle surgery — particularly minimally invasive bunion correction and forefoot deformity — also reflects a commitment to modern techniques designed to improve recovery and patient experience. Research into bunion outcomes through JVORI has allowed her team to present and publish data nationally, contributing to broader discussions about technique and recovery protocols.

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Balancing the scales in orthopaedics, she believes, is not about favouring one group over another. It is about ensuring pathways into training (including its completion) and leadership are transparent, supportive, and grounded in merit.

“It’s about creating an environment where talent and dedication determine opportunity,” she says. “When we remove unnecessary barriers, the profession benefits, and ultimately so do our patients.”

Her sporting background as a competitive junior runner continues to inform her perspective on movement, resilience and performance. Outside the operating theatre, running remains a way to recalibrate — a reminder that surgeon wellbeing and patient wellbeing are closely linked.

As orthopaedics continues to evolve, visibility matters. Mentorship matters. Culture matters.

For Dr Dares, International Women’s Day is less about celebration and more about reflection on how far the profession has come, and how deliberate leadership can continue to shape a specialty defined not by who occupies it, but by the quality of care it delivers.

 

APAS Women in Arthroplasty Travelling Fellowship 

By shoulder and elbow surgeon Dr Pamela Boekel, Richmond, VIC

I was privileged to co-host two international surgeons as part of the APAS Women in Arthroplasty Travelling Fellowship. Lead by A/Prof Claudia Di Bella, and alongside Dr Sarah O'Reilly-Harbridge, Dr Jarrad Stevens, and Dr Audi Widjaja, we hosted fellows from Türkiye and India during the Melbourne leg of their program.

Although their visit was brief, the exchange of ideas and surgical knowledge was invaluable. It is particularly heartening to see such strong support from industry partners for female-specific fellowships. With this level of global collaboration between colleagues and industry, I am hopeful that our orthopaedic workforce will one day truly reflect the diverse community we serve. 

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