To help others, I want to devote myself to saving lives and curing diseases

Yuqin, 27, soon-to-be resident in chest surgery at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, who only wants to be identified by her given name.

I come from a medical family. My maternal grandmother specialized in internal medicine, my mother is a dentist, and my uncle is a surgeon.

When I was planning a career, my mother suggested dental medicine, but I wanted to devote myself to saving lives and curing diseases, as I love helping others.

My colleagues and I are not allowed to work as chief surgeons yet, but our tutor requires us to close surgical incisions. The suture is said to be a surgeon's signature, and each time I perform a perfect suture, it gives me a sense of high achievement.

Performing surgery is a craft, and I think women have their advantages, as they are usually more careful, but this is also something of a gender stereotype.

Some 40 percent of the medical students in our hospital's surgery department are women, a higher proportion than in previous years. But this doesn't mean all of them will become surgeons. Some may decide to take up other careers, and some may switch to working in departments such as anesthesiology and pathology.

I believe that women sometimes face professional obstacles, and in the field of medicine, tutors prefer male students, with some stating openly that they don't accept women.

Due to such preferences, women cannot stand out unless they perform exceptionally well at work.

I force myself to work harder. Our department will have five residents, including two women. Our tutor once said: "Come on, boys. The girls are working harder to join the operation rooms."

A rising sense of gender awareness, particularly overseas, is contributing to more women becoming surgeons.

In France, where I was sent as an exchange student, about half the surgeons were women, including some working in senior positions.

In China, I met senior surgeons — men and women — who tried to dissuade me from becoming a surgeon. Although they recognized that I am capable of working as a surgeon, they advised me to choose an easier job.

Women surgeons may not be as adept at their work after months of maternity leave, but I look forward to becoming a mother one day. I believe this is an important life experience, although I don't want to fully sacrifice my career in exchange for child-raising duties.

I don't think the question of a work-life balance should relate solely to women, and men should not walk away from bringing up children.

I once met Valerie Rusch, one of the first women certified to perform chest surgery in the United States. She encouraged me with these words: "For your generation, things will be different."

Yuqin was talking with Zhou Wenting.