Healthcare is the backbone of humanity. This force of Bravehearts is the one we can approach when something is wrong. In some places for people, this is still a luxury to have healthcare opportunities. Health workers are the beating heart of every health system and the majority – seventy percent – are women. Global demand for health workers is rising. Changing demographics and expanding health systems are driving the creation of 40 million new health and social sector jobs by 2030. In parallel, low- and middle-income countries will be short of 18 million health workers to achieve universal health coverage (UHC).
Women in healthcare are not a problem in the field of healthcare. Women in leadership positions in healthcare are a concern. Despite making up 65 percent of the healthcare workforce, women only occupy about 30 percent of average payer or provide positions. It becomes worse as you move up the corporate ladder to the world of healthcare CEOs, where 87 percent are men. Due to the lack of diversity in the C-suite, incumbents run the danger of failing to innovate or differentiate themselves enough to compete in a rapidly shifting market.
A Weird Barrier
The healthcare industry sees a barrier that exists in others. While being dominated by women, they are not seen on top of the pyramid as CEO, COO, or similar higher positions. So why is that?
A focus on everyone in society, particularly the marginalized, will result from the inclusion of women at every level of the healthcare industry, resulting in inclusive and equitable healthcare delivery.
Women in leadership are viewed as being more democratic and compassionate. Many employ a flexible leadership approach that emphasizes people and aims to encourage group decision-making, teamwork, and accepting responsibility for mistakes while simultaneously inspiring subordinates along their growth paths. Women assist close the gender gap in the workplace by bringing diversity and new viewpoints to the workplace. Experts have studied and confirmed this.
The Significance of Women in Healthcare
Multiple studies establish that placing women in leadership not only increases organizational productivity but maximized the value of the female workforce. Having a team with people of all genders evaluates the space of any workspace. Women have always been able to notice intricate details about policies, processes, and procedures. Having such assets in the field can help elevate existing policies and make new ones more efficient.
Women are estimated to contribute 5% (USD 3 trillion) to global GDP while in the healthcare department. Many of these contributions go unrecognized by the authorities or economies as they are not on much of a higher scale. If women are given chance to contribute equally it would result in a nearly $160 Trillion increase in global GDP.
Although it is taught to doctors to not be emotionally attached to their patients, women are naturally kind and considerate. Healthcare workers often need to go to rural areas to treat and oversee patients who may not be familiar with the A-B-C of health and medical
The ability to prioritize, give strategic direction to various players within the health system, and inspire commitment across the health sector are fundamental to health leadership.
The leadership must adapt to new political, technological, social, and economic developments as health systems change to strengthen the healthcare system.
The Real Picture
Most persons working in health and social services are women; in the OECD, 20 million women are working in these fields, compared to 6.3 million men. However, women frequently hold lower-paying positions in the health and social care industries. For instance, in the OECD countries, the proportion of female doctors has consistently climbed over the previous few decades, rising from around 30% of all doctors in 1990 to about 40% by 2000 and up to 47% in 2015. Female doctors in the United States were paid roughly USD 20,000 less per year than their male counterparts, for example, because they are underrepresented in the most lucrative specialties like surgery
The long-term care (LTC) industry is even more heavily dominated by women: on average, women hold about 90% of the employment in the LTC industry. The working environment in this industry is frequently subpar. For instance, in 2014, 50% of LTC workers in nine EU nations received EUR 8, compared to 50% of hospital personnel who received EUR 12. Additionally, the working circumstances for LTC employees are frequently challenging and intellectually and physically taxing. In the EU, one in six LTC employees claims to have at least one health issue that was brought on by or made worse by their employment.
Because of the way things have historically been in the healthcare profession, some of the current executives in the sector have an implicit bias against women in leadership roles. Males shape and define a large portion of the standards for leaders. Women frequently work in service-oriented roles rather than strategic and operational ones when they are promoted to higher-level positions.
Women who want to be leaders in the healthcare industry must act. A key step that might lead to new opportunities, ideas, and connections in the sector is continuing one’s education.
