(6/19/2023)
Women make up the majority of the healthcare workforce but lack proportional representation in leadership roles. While more women have taken positions of leadership in recent years, there is plenty of room for continued growth.
According to a 2020 McKinsey & Company report on women in healthcare, the healthcare industry has proportionally more women in its workforce than other industries. However, female representation decreases at higher levels of leadership. Two-thirds of entry-level healthcare workers are women but make up just 30% of C-suite leadership. Further, according to 2021 studies from the JAMA Network and World Health Organization, only 15% of healthcare CEOs are women. There’s work to do to even out female representation across the spectrum of roles.
Despite advances over the last few decades, challenges and lingering stereotypes have prevented women from advancing into leadership positions at the same rate as men across multiple industries. Research shows that women generally apply for 20% fewer jobs than men, largely because female candidates believe they must meet 100% of the job description criteria to be selected. In contrast, men are more likely to apply for a role if they meet only 60% of the criteria. We must not get in our own way of growth and instead embrace a “why not me?” mentality.
This sentiment is also true when voicing the tools and support we need to succeed and establishing boundaries to protect work-life balance. Women in younger generations feel more comfortable stepping out of traditionally female roles, but they also must be able to see themselves in varied career paths. This vision is established by today’s female healthcare professionals who will continue to build upon it throughout their lives.
Cultivating an inclusive workplace culture is the most effective way for healthcare organizations to support women rising through the ranks. An environment that encourages all team members to make their voices heard and use their skills in new ways supports female associates looking to gain experience which will ultimately lead them into more advanced leadership roles.
The more women serve on leadership teams, the more they build those teams’ diversity. Diverse leadership teams solve problems and make decisions more effectively because leaders with a variety of viewpoints can bounce ideas off of one another and approach situations from multiple angles. Female leaders offer unique perspectives and valuable skills that can positively impact the organization. A study by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, for example, found that female leaders were generally better at providing emotional support to employees.
Emotional support isn’t the only way to invest in one another, nor should it be. Time and energy in the form of mentorships are key to shaping the next generation of healthcare leaders. Mentor relationships can benefit whole organizations by creating learning opportunities for emerging leaders and strengthening relationships between team members. Teaming up female mentees and mentors together can be especially beneficial in forging strong bonds, overcoming challenges and establishing role models.
Successful mentoring will make it easier to fill future leadership roles because incoming leaders will have already received personal guidance from those who held similar roles. Building mentor relationships is vital to support future female leaders as they advance into new roles.
As a new generation of women enters the workforce, healthcare organizations have a responsibility to continue creating opportunities to capitalize on the unique skills and insights women have to offer. Medxcel’s Vice President of Corporate Support Services, Sara Barker, and the President of Sparrow Eaton Hospital, Helen Johnson, talk about all of this and more in the season three premiere of our podcast, “Outside the Patient’s Door.” Join the conversation about supporting women pursuing leadership opportunities in healthcare by tuning in to “S3 E1: Inspiring Women Leaders with Helen Johnson and Sara Barker.”