The Cost of Exclusion: What Healthcare Risks Without Women Leaders

 

“Global health addresses some of the biggest challenges that humankind faces. We need to have the best talent, and we need to draw that talent from all of humankind, not just the male 50%.“

 Amie Batson, President of WomenLift Health

 

The global healthcare system suffers from a critical lack of women in leadership roles. This scarcity does not stem from a shortage of women in the healthcare service. In fact, women constitute 70% of the global healthcare workforce, delivering health services to 5 billion people and contributing an estimated $3 trillion annually to global health. Yet, they hold only 25% of senior leadership positions.

Women are the backbone of care delivery, the unsung pillars holding the system together. But at the decision-making table, their influence remains confined to a quarter of the power. Even those who make it to leadership often face significant challenges, including undermined authority compared to their male counterparts. Women leaders frequently find themselves fighting harder to gain recognition and influence, which are often more readily granted to men with chair.

The Cost of Underrepresentation

The underrepresentation of women in healthcare leadership is not just a loss for women. It’s a setback for the entire system and the communities it serves. Systems that stick to familiar ways of operating often fail to recognize the transformative opportunities they’re missing. A loss unrecognized is no less a loss.

While progress has been made, it should not blind us to what still can be achieved. Just because the past wasn’t equitable doesn’t mean we should set a low bar for today or tomorrow.

Unique Strengths Women Bring to Leadership

Women and men often share similar leadership qualities, but the differences women bring can profoundly impact healthcare systems. Women tend to adopt transformational leadership styles, emphasizing motivation, mentoring, and inspiration. These styles foster strong teams, loyalty, and a positive workplace culture.

Women are also more likely to adopt reward-based transactional leadership. Which is based on praising and encouraging employees for their efforts in contrast to reprimand-focused approaches often seen in male counterparts. This approach boosts morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction, making women’s leadership styles an asset in any organizational setting.

Integrating the strengths of both men’s and women’s leadership styles can create a balanced workplace environment that fosters collaboration, enhances decision-making, and strengthens team dynamics. 

“It’s probably not a good idea to overlook female CEOs. They’re driving an enormous amount of value in business. And you overlook it at your own expense.”

Dr. Iman Abuzeid, CEO of Incredible Health

Driving Social Impact Through Leadership

Women leaders often prioritize compassion, universalism, and policies that focus on the welfare of individuals and communities. These values fuel positive social impact, particularly in areas like gender equality, family support, and healthcare access. Their leadership fosters fairness, inclusivity, and the improved health and well-being of vulnerable populations.

Equally important are the perspectives and experiences women bring. As half of the world’s population and a significant portion of healthcare clients, women’s insights into unique health challenges are invaluable. These perspectives shape policies and solutions that benefit entire communities, ensuring that no segment of society is left unaddressed.

The result? A healthcare system better equipped to meet the needs of the communities it serves.

Representation Matters

The presence of women in leadership roles benefits not only healthcare organizations but also the workforce they lead. Organizations with diverse leadership are better aligned with their workforce demographics, improving effectiveness and attracting new talent. When women leaders are supported, they often extend that support to their teams, families, and communities, creating a ripple effect of positive change. 

Neglecting to include women in decision-making positions risks losing efficiency, perspectives, and solutions that could elevate public health outcomes for all.

Building a Better Future

The exclusion of women from healthcare leadership is a risk too great and a cost too high. It’s more than a missed opportunity. It’s an unsustainable practice that diminishes outcomes and weakens the foundation of healthcare. The persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership leaves critical perspectives and solutions untapped, creating inefficiencies. In healthcare, where the stakes are higher, the absence of inclusive leadership risks undermining the system’s ability to adapt, innovate, and deliver quality care.

Addressing this imbalance isn’t just a moral obligation—it’s a strategic necessity. By leveraging the unique insights and irreplaceable strengths women bring, healthcare systems can drive transformative, sustainable change. 

Recognizing this need, global initiatives like WomenLift Health are leading the charge. WomenLift Health is a global effort to advance women’s leadership in health, emphasizing that diverse leadership is critical to solving the sector’s complex challenges. Through tailored programs, the initiative equips women leaders with the skills, networks, and resources needed to drive systemic change. 

In Ethiopia, the health sector has embraced this global momentum by prioritizing inclusivity in its leadership development programs. Past initiatives like the Leadership, Management, and Governance (LMG) program and the Leadership Incubation Program for Health (LIP-H) laid the groundwork for leadership development. Building on these efforts, the forthcoming High Impact Leadership Program for Health (HIL-PH) aims to bridge representation gaps and embed equity into leadership frameworks.

HIL-PH focuses on three pillars: Women in Leadership for Health, High Impact Leadership Competency, and Cultivating Managerial Accountability. By centering women’s leadership, the program addresses systemic barriers and seeks to unlock the full potential of Ethiopia’s healthcare workforce. This shift toward equity is not just about representation; it’s about building a healthcare system capable of meeting the needs of its diverse population.

“The barriers for women in leadership are multifaceted. There are a lot of structural, but also mindset barriers that can be solved. They are not insurmountable – they just need intentionality and commitment.”

Dr. Lia Tadesse, Former minister of health of Ethiopia