Women’s leadership in health care: Paving the way for the future

As we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Dr MaryAnn Ferreux, Chief Medical Officer at Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, explores how we can advance women’s leadership in healthcare.

In recent years, the impact of women leaders in health care has gained global recognition. According to the article “Women Leaders in Health Care: A Scoping Review on the Impact of Women’s Global Leadership” published in BMJ Global Health, women’s leadership has a positive influence on health, innovation, organisational culture and climate outcomes, and influence on other women’s careers and aspirations, among other areas.¹ These findings are reported following a meta review of 137 articles. For those of us working in health care across England, these findings serve as a powerful reminder of why supporting women’s leadership is so critical to our future. The study in the BMJ reinforces what many of us have long understood – when women reach leadership positions, they drive meaningful positive change across organisations if they are well supported.

I recently chaired the EmpowHer panel at Arab Health with several global women leaders, where we explored the critical challenges facing women in leadership today. We concluded that we must ensure that women thrive in leadership roles, and that organisations create an inclusive and supportive environment while addressing gender stereotyping and work-life balance. These conversations have helped me to highlight the key themes from our discussion and reflect on how Health Innovation Networks can advance women’s leadership, both here in England and globally. The key themes were:

1. Addressing gender bias and stereotyping

Our discussion at Arab Health shared experiences of how women leaders had overcome gender stereotypes to cultivate healthy and productive work-life balance. We found that gender stereotyping often imposed unrealistic expectations on female leaders, making it challenging to balance personal and professional responsibilities. Additionally, promoting a culture that valued work-life balance for all employees will help to normalise the need for personal time and reduce the stigma associated with seeking flexibility.

Addressing gender bias in research and innovation is also important. Our current systems are reinforcing existing gender disparities due to the existence of biased data. Developing ethical and inclusive technologies that do not perpetuate gender stereotypes involves developing and using diverse and representative datasets and continuously monitoring our systems for bias.

In KSS, we have set up the Women’s Health Research Network in partnership with the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The network has over 200 members, comprising of the voice of lived experience, academics, clinicians and Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprises (VCSEs). The network provides a link to support women in research and innovation to foster research in women’s health.

2. Creating an inclusive and supportive environment

To foster women’s success in leadership, it’s essential to create an inclusive and supportive environment. Mentoring, skill development, and sponsorship play vital roles in this process. As the BMJ article shows, organisations should consider establishing a mentoring programme, and provide women with guidance, encouragement, and a network of peers and experienced leaders to learn from. Skill development initiatives, like the NHS Leadership Academy, offer training programmes designed to enhance leadership competencies and confidence. Furthermore, sponsorship, where senior leaders advocate for and promote high-potential women, can open doors to new opportunities and career advancement.

The Accelerating FemTech programme is an example of an initiative led by Health Innovation Network South London, funded by Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council, which supports female founders and early-stage companies focused on women’s health.

As a national network, we are committed to using our expertise in health innovation adoption to create an inclusive environment and find new innovations for the NHS that support women across the life course.

3. Understanding the “Glass Cliff” phenomenon

The “glass cliff” refers to the precarious positions women often find themselves in when placed in leadership roles during times of crisis or organisational instability.¹ Original research from University of Exeter on this phenomenon found that when a company was performing poorly, between 65 and 86 % of participants preferred a female candidate for leadership roles, but only between 39 and 57% preferred a female candidate when the company was performing strongly.

These high-risk situations where organisations are facing financial difficulties or performance issues, increase the likelihood of failure, perpetuating stereotypes that women are less capable leaders than their male counterparts. Awareness of this phenomenon is crucial in preventing it. We must provide equal opportunities for women and men in leadership, ensuring support systems are in place to navigate challenging situations.

Inspiring tomorrow’s leaders

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) also recognises the importance of showcasing successful female health care leaders in innovation to inspire the next generation of women in leadership for digital and technology and to facilitate open discussions around barriers to success. One recent example is our new campaign celebrating AI Visionaries, which we launched in collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care. The campaign identifies and celebrates outstanding pioneers behind groundbreaking advancements in women’s health and gender equity through artificial intelligence (AI).

Looking forward

The evidence is clear: increased investment in women’s leadership within health care leads to better organisational outcomes and improved patient care. At the Health Innovation Network, we remain committed to fostering female leadership, advancing women’s health innovation, and creating supportive networks that will shape the future of health care.

Our initiatives demonstrate that by addressing gender disparities in leadership and health care innovation, we can create a more equitable and effective health care system. The positive impact of women leaders, as highlighted in the BMJ study, shows that this is not just about equality – it’s about better health outcomes for everyone.

References

1. A scoping review on the impact of women’s global leadership: evidence to inform health leadership | BMJ Global Health
2. Uncovering the ‘Glass Cliff’ | REF 2021 – Research Excellence Framework | University of Exeter

 

About Dr MaryAnn Ferreux

MaryAnn is the Chief Medical Officer for Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex. She has 20 years health care experience working across both the Australian and UK health system, with specialist qualifications in health system leadership, management, and population health. She has held Board level roles as a medical leader in both primary and secondary care and is passionate about using digital and innovation to improve the patient experience for underserved communities, deliver better integration, and ensure equitable access to care. She is a thought leader for health equity in innovation and is leading on several projects to explore gender and racial bias in AI, debias policymaking and increase women in leadership for digital and technology.