Strategies for Recognizing and Eliminating Gender Bias for Healthcare Leaders

Women in healthcare leadership, both physicians and non-physicians, continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles and have a more difficult time advancing their careers than their male counterparts. This book explores the phenomenon and reasons behind the lack of women in healthcare leadership roles and offers practical strategies for addressing this gender leadership inequity. The historical, social, and policy origins are identified within the context of unconscious biases, with solutions built upon examining the archetypal stories underneath these biases, including those of several contemporary healthcare leaders. Gender imbalanced leadership teams in healthcare perpetuate policies and cultures that are not conducive to equal opportunities, which is contributing to high turnover and attrition among women professionals in an industry that is 85% female worldwide. Irrespective of one's gender, healthcare leaders can learn to identify the barriers and reframe solutions based upon these fresh narratives. Most policy and healthcare industry explorations of these issues do not explore the rich scholarly work of gender bias at the cultural level. As a bonus, this book also has a vast bibliography and reference component that can serve as an excellent source for those seeking deeper exploration of the issues the book addresses.