Gender inequity remains an issue in anaesthesia despite increasing numbers of women training and achieving fellowship in the speciality. Women are under-represented in all areas of anaesthetic research, academia and leadership. This podcast featuring Dr Seema Agarwal discusses two new qualitative papers on related topics. The first is an analysis of how gender affects a career in anaesthesia in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The second examines successful return to work in anaesthesia after maternity leave.