G02 – Shattering the Box: Women Embracing a Systemic Lens as they Lead the Charge in Healthcare

Summary

Adequate representation of women in leadership positions across healthcare systems continues to be a problem. Despite the fact that women make up over 75% of the healthcare and social care workforce (OECD, 2019), women continue to be under-represented in the decision-making spaces of healthcare organizations (Kalaitzi et al., 2017). In fact, women continue to be largely absent from leadership teams across healthcare sectors, even though researchers have shown that having a diverse leadership team is associated with more strategic, balanced decisions, innovation, and an increased capacity for both problem solving and adapting to change (Kalaitzi et al., 2017; Madsen et al., 2020). Meanwhile, women experience the social and economic impacts of crises at higher rates than men. For example, women accounted for all of the 140,000 jobs lost in the U.S. as a result of the pandemic, with women of color accounting for the majority of these professional losses (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). Women are also more likely to have to provide evidence of their competence, be subjected to disrespectful and demeaning remarks, and be mistaken for someone more junior compared to cisgendered men (Madsen et al., 2020). In this panel discussion, we will explore the diverse career paths women take as leaders in healthcare and how they leverage their roles to advocate for systems-focused best practices both within the clinical rooms and healthcare organizations alike. More specifically, this panel explores the unique career trajectories of five women with family-focused backgrounds across the healthcare sector. The panelists showcase a diverse array of professional healthcare positions beyond the clinical floor including research, policy and advocacy, pharmaceutical industry, healthcare administration, rural emergency department behavioral health, and workplace well-being specialty. The panelists will discuss how their shared background in family systems is embraced as an advantage in their unique career navigation, as well as their lived experience as professional women leaders. While this presentation is centered on gender diversity, panelists will discuss the intersectionality of their identities, both seen and unseen, and how those identities have been perceived and received by others in their workspaces. Additionally, the panelists will discuss the real-world implications of having more women on leadership teams and the collective impact on patient outcomes, organizational change, and workforce development. Finally, there will be a discussion on how to ally with cis and non-cis women in the healthcare work place. Through this panel discussion, both new and seasoned professionals across the gender continuum will be challenged to consider the importance of representation within healthcare leadership and the opportunities to influence change that arise from breaking outside of the clinical walls.