Women’s career progression to management positions in Jordan’s health sector

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to identify and explore experiences, perspectives, barriers and enablers to women’s career progression to management positions in the health-care sector and to assess women’s and men’s perceptions of the policies and practices of the health-care system concerning gender equality and nondiscrimination between women and men. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health-care professionals in ten selected hospitals, including physicians, registered nurses/midwives and pharmacists with or without managerial positions. Findings This study included a total of 2,082 female and 1,100 male health-care professionals. Overall, 70% of women and men reported that opportunities for advancement are based on knowledge and skills in their institution. However, 58.9% of women (p < 0.001) reported that women are more likely to face barriers to career advancement than men do in their workplace. Lack of women in general/line management and discrimination against women by supervisors at the point of promotion were the main barriers to women's career progression, as they were reported by two-thirds of women. The main barrier, as perceived by men (62.3%) was that women have family and domestic responsibilities. Practical implications To overcome barriers in women's career progression, there is a need to establish a career planning and capacity-building program for women in the health sector. Originality/value Jordanian female health-care professionals face different barriers that affect their career progression, including inequity and discrimination in the workplace, negative views about women’s abilities, lack of qualifications and training, hostile cultural beliefs and family responsibilities.

Gender Equity in Hospitals: An Italian case Study

“…This is in line with the literature which underlines the fact that the gender gap is still present in healthcare sector and is rooted in gender biases and gender norms that date back thousands of years (Newman et al 2020). As previously stated, extra effort is required for women for succeeding (Farruggia et al, 2020), and women are more likely to face barriers to career advancement than men do in their workplace (Khader et al, 2022).…”

“…In such a direction, extra effort is required for women for succeeding (Farruggia et al, 2020) and women are more likely to face barriers to career advancement than men do in their workplace (Khader et al, 2022). A major obstacle to gender equity is women doctors with children, who work reduced hours, mainly to enable them to fit in domestic responsibilities, and have difficulty finding an appropriate work-life balance.…”

Gender Equality in Architecture and Construction: An Assessment Framework at the Institutional and Sectoral Levels in Jordan

“…Second, the social content within the workplace was prioritised over the more formal aspects, where matters related to the relations between colleagues and facilitated access were prioritised over indicators pertaining to performance criteria and formal setting of responsibilities. This is quite indicative of the cultural context in Jordan [55][56][57].…”

Factors influencing gender preference towards surgeons among Jordanian adults: an investigation of healthcare bias

“…Despite females forming about half of the health workforce in Jordan, they continue to be underrepresented and have a limited role in senior healthcare decision-making. This shortage of women in line management can be postulated to the persistent traditional gender norms, poor enforcement of policies, childbearing, domestic responsibilities, and discrimination in recruitment 50 . In addition, gender-based discrimination in the healthcare environment impedes the advancement of females’ careers and further exacerbates their underrepresentation.…”