From Compassion to Boardrooms
The health sector has undergone significant changes in the last decades, most notably regarding strategic promotions of women in its workforce. While women constitute an overwhelming majority of the health workforce at all levels of entry positions-more than two-thirds-there remain many obstacles to their promotion and upward mobilization in leadership positions.
This article discusses the contemporary context, obstacles to women’s promotion, and strategies required for a balance ecology that promotes women’s health and leadership in the health sector.
Current Landscape of Woman in Healthcare
Women make up a significant share of the healthcare workforce, especially at frontline positions, but their presence tapers off as one moves to higher levels of management. For example, women occupied 53% of senior manager or director positions in 2021, whereas percentages for promotion to other executive positions, such as senior vice president (SVP) and the C-suite, stand many magnitudes lower. The rates of promotions for women fluctuated significantly: In 2019 only 8.3% were promoted to C-suite positions, a mere 0.8% to 2021, indicating that although there is a very strong presence of women in this industry, these had been systemic obstacles towards women’s upward movement.
The pandemic of COVID-19 has only contributed to these challenges. Women who work from home, often taking on an additional parenting role, reported increased home responsibilities as a primary reason for attrition off leadership tracks. Women of color also face unique additional barriers that might prevent them from advancing, so it is important that these differences are addressed on a holistic level.
Barriers to Advancement
There are a variety of causes that lead to the underrepresentation of women in healthcare leadership. Structural biases, often located within organizations, have often favored males for promotions into the leadership ranks. These biases are backed by traditional gender roles that assume caregiving responsibilities within the family by women.
In many women, this fight between professional responsibility and personal life, especially during the pandemic, has led them to opt out of competitive roles or reduce their hours. Women frequently report a lack of mentorship opportunities, critical for career advancement. Mentorship can provide direction, support, and networking opportunities that are imperative to climb the corporate ladder.
Due to a relative lack of investment into women’s health research, there are knowledge gaps in conditions that disproportionately affect women, thus limiting access to career advancement for women researchers and healthcare professionals.
Strategies for Elevation
For women to be effectively elevated in healthcare, several strategies must be implemented:
- Encourage Inclusive Leadership Development Programs: The organizations should initiate specific leadership development programs particularly focused on women. Such specific programs can train, guide, and provide networking opportunities for women to contribute with confidence in positions of leadership.
- Implement Flexible Work Policies: Flexible work arrangements can accommodate the diversified needs of female employees, especially those who care for families. An organization that offers some form of remote work and flexible hours may retain talented women who would otherwise leave the workforce.
- Improve Recruitment Practice: Healthcare organizations should concentrate on improving recruitment practices to ensure diverse candidate pools for leadership positions. This involves actively seeking female candidates for executive positions and ensuring that hiring panels are diverse.
- Invest in Women’s Health Research: Instead, increased funding is needed to advance research in women’s health-related issues to fill huge gaps in knowledge and treatment options. The value of such an investment does not only benefit the health of women but also creates opportunities for new careers for women in research and in clinical practice.
- Establish Clear Metrics for Progress: Organizations should ensure metrics against gender equality in promotions and in hiring are established clearly so that regular audits can pinpoint where changes need to be made and ensure that organizations own up to their commitments.
Conclusion
Raising women in health to strategic roles is not just a matter of equity; in fact, it would serve as a powerful determinant for improving health outcomes among communities. With strategized action, systemic barriers, and focused approaches, these organizations are able to introduce conditions favorable for women to excel as leaders.
The economic impacts are significant; filling the gender gap might add up to $1 trillion in global economies by 2040 through productivity improvement and healthy populations. As we go forward, focusing on women’s health and leadership will prove to not only better individual lives but the health care system as a whole.
