This session is for everyone keen to improve the future. Despite women being in the majority at medical school for 40 years, there are still low proportions of women in surgery. Recent reports show better patient outcomes with gender diverse teams, so we are failing patients as well as colleagues if we do not try to reduce the persistent barriers. More women leave surgical training than men. 91% of women doctors in the BMA survey had experienced recent sexism. There are many barriers and challenges that could be addressed, for example: making required adjustments for pregnancy, improving surgical training especially combined with parenthood, reducing the sexist assumptions and actions of patients and co-workers, increasing the understanding and celebration of difference and promoting women into leadership roles.