Vol. 15 No. 2 (2022): Carolean Age- A New Dawn
Opinions

The Future of Gender Equity in Healthcare : The ANZ experience

Shailja Chaturvedi
Psychiatry

Published 2023-04-05

Keywords

  • Equity,
  • Leadership,
  • Female doctor

How to Cite

Chaturvedi, S. (2023). The Future of Gender Equity in Healthcare : The ANZ experience. Sushruta Journal of Health Policy & Opinion, 15(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.38192/15.2.8

Abstract

Globally there is an increasing participation of women in the general workforce, but the healthcare workforce has always had a higher proportion of women. It is estimated that the majority of the 75% of women who constitute the global health workforce mostly occupy the lower ranks. Among doctors, women are under-represented in positions of power and influence.

 

This article aims to increase awareness of factors that impede the potential of women doctors, and considers initiatives that could be implemented in the healthcare sector to address the gender inequality, including a fair representation in positions of leadership and influence. Although this article will focus primarily on issues related to gender equality, the author recognises the impact of intersectionality of the factors that contribute to differential attainment.

 

Diverse workforces tend to perform better in productivity, innovation, balanced decision-making and job satisfaction. There is research suggesting that women doctors have better communication skills, spend more time with patients, adhere better to guidelines and may even have better outcomes in healthcare decision-making. Women tend to anchor their leadership in purpose and impact rather than personal ambitions or power; demonstrate emotional intelligence in inspiring their teams, and promote collaborative working in the interest of the organisations they lead.

 

There is an opportunity to learn from initiatives that promote women in leadership roles, as well as published reviews that encourage organisations to address gender disparity in pay and positions of influence. Now is the time to add the multiple dimensions of diversity and intersectionality to this initiative for gender equality and justice in the medical workforce.

 

Keywords: Equity, leadership, woman doctor

 

References

  1. Dorothea Erxleben. Wikipedia (2022).
  2. Elizabeth Blackwell | Biography & Facts | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Blackwell (2023).
  3. Constance Stone. Wikipedia (2022).
  4. Victorian Medical Women’s Society. Wikipedia (2021).
  5. Advancing women in medical leadership - Teede - 2019 - Medical Journal of Australia - Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.5694/mja2.50287.
  6. The Future of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 2022. Affirmity https://affirmity.com/future-diversity-equity-inclusion-2022-ppc/.
  7. Appelbaum, S. H., Audet, L. & Miller, J. C. Gender and leadership? Leadership and gender? A journey through the landscape of theories. Leadership & Organization Development Journal 24, 43–51 (2003).
  8. Pierli, G., Murmura, F. & Palazzi, F. Women and Leadership: How Do Women Leaders Contribute to Companies’ Sustainable Choices? Frontiers in Sustainability 3, (2022).
  9. McCullough, L. Women’s Leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Barriers to Participation. Forum on Public Policy Online 2011, (2011).
  10. Babic, A. & Hansez, I. The Glass Ceiling for Women Managers: Antecedents and Consequences for Work-Family Interface and Well-Being at Work. Frontiers in Psychology 12, (2021).
  11. Hutchison, K. Four types of gender bias affecting women surgeons and their cumulative impact. J Med Ethics 46, 236–241 (2020).
  12. Serrano, K. Women residents, women physicians and medicine’s future. WMJ 106, 260–265 (2007).
  13. 2020 KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit Report Announcement. https://womensleadership.kpmg.us/summit/kpmg-womens-leadership-report-2020.html.
  14. Eagly, A. H. & Carli, L. L. Women and the labyrinth of leadership. Harv Bus Rev 85, 62–71, 146 (2007).
  15. Rosette, A. S., Koval, C. Z., Ma, A. & Livingston, R. Race matters for women leaders: Intersectional effects on agentic deficiencies and penalties. The Leadership Quarterly 27, 429–445 (2016).
  16. Breslin, R. A., Pandey, S. & Riccucci, N. M. Intersectionality in Public Leadership Research: A Review and Future Research Agenda. Review of Public Personnel Administration 37, 160–182 (2017).
  17. Cooper-Patrick, L. et al. Race, gender, and partnership in the patient-physician relationship. JAMA 282, 583–589 (1999).
  18. Nelson, A. & Piatak, J. Intersectionality, Leadership, and Inclusion: How Do Racially Underrepresented Women Fare in the Federal Government? Review of Public Personnel Administration 41, 294–318 (2021).
  19. Rosette, A. S. & Livingston, R. W. Failure is not an option for Black women: Effects of organizational performance on leaders with single versus dual-subordinate identities. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 48, 1162–1167 (2012).
  20. Arifeen, S. R. & Syed, J. The challenges of fitting in: An intersectional framing of minority ethnic women managers’ career experiences in the UK. Personnel Review 49, 1194–1211 (2019).
  21. AMA Diversity and Inclusion Plan 2020-2022. Australian Medical Association https://www.ama.com.au/articles/ama-diversity-and-inclusion-plan-2020-2022 (2020).
  22. Gender equality in science, medicine, and global health: where are we at and why does it matter? - The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)33135-0/fulltext.
  23. Gender equity | RANZCP. https://www.ranzcp.org/membership/gender-equity.
  24. ANZCA | Gender equity. https://www.anzca.edu.au/about-us/our-culture/inclusion-and-diversity/gender-equity.
  25. Gender-Equity-and-Diversity-Report.pdf.
  26. Frequently asked questions about gender equality. United Nations Population Fund https://www.unfpa.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-gender-equality.
  27. Hartmann, M. et al. How Are Gender Equality and Human Rights Interventions Included in Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes and Policies: A Systematic Review of Existing Research Foci and Gaps. PLoS One 11, e0167542 (2016).
  28. Guthridge, M., Kirkman, M., Penovic, T. & Giummarra, M. J. Promoting Gender Equality: A Systematic Review of Interventions. Soc Just Res 35, 318–343 (2022).
  29. Palmén, R. & Kalpazidou Schmidt, E. Analysing facilitating and hindering factors for implementing gender equality interventions in R&I: Structures and processes. Evaluation and Program Planning 77, 101726 (2019).
  30. O’Connor, P. & Irvine, G. Multi-Level State Interventions and Gender Equality in Higher Education Institutions: The Irish Case. Administrative Sciences 10, 98 (2020).
  31. Kalpazidou Schmidt, E., Ovseiko, P. V., Henderson, L. R. & Kiparoglou, V. Understanding the Athena SWAN award scheme for gender equality as a complex social intervention in a complex system: analysis of Silver award action plans in a comparative European perspective. Health Research Policy and Systems 18, 19 (2020).