A senior obstetrician is under fire over comments he’s made that the upswing in female doctors makes the medical profession more “vulnerable”, as women are less able to cope with “everyday nastiness”.

Nepean Hospital obstetrician Professor Hans Peter Dietz is in hot water over remarks he reportedly made in emails sent to 35 colleagues at the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) (NSW).

Professor Dietz is on the leadership council of the union.

In one email he said the workforce was “increasingly vulnerable because it’s increasingly female and not exactly prepared for adversity because school and uni are ‘safe spaces’ (sic)”, according to SBS News, that reported it had seen the emails.