Women in Leadership: A Healthcare Imperative – ET HealthWorld

Report on Women’s Leadership in Indian Healthcare and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The Strategic Imperative for Gender Equality

This report analyzes the state of women’s leadership within India’s healthcare sector, framing the issue as a critical component for achieving national development targets and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While women constitute the majority of the healthcare workforce, a significant leadership gap persists, undermining progress towards SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The advancement of women into senior roles is not merely an issue of equity but a strategic necessity for building a resilient and effective healthcare system for India’s future.

Analysis of the Current Situation and SDG Disparities

Statistical Overview: A Contradiction to SDG 5

The current landscape of India’s healthcare workforce presents a stark paradox that directly challenges the principles of SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• Workforce Composition: Women comprise approximately two-thirds of the global healthcare workforce. In India, they represent 80% of nurses and nearly one-third of doctors.
• Leadership Disparity: Despite their prevalence in the workforce, women hold only 18% of leadership positions within the Indian healthcare sector.
• Economic Inequality: A significant gender pay gap exists, with women earning, on average, 34% less than their male counterparts, a direct contravention of SDG 8.5, which calls for equal pay for work of equal value.

Impact on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The underrepresentation of women in leadership roles has tangible consequences for health outcomes. Inclusive leadership, which reflects the diversity of the workforce and patient population, is proven to enhance organizational performance and improve the quality of care. The lack of female perspectives in decision-making, particularly in areas like women’s health and FemTech, hinders the development of comprehensive health solutions, thereby impeding progress towards universal health coverage as outlined in SDG 3.

Barriers to Women’s Advancement in Healthcare Leadership

Systemic and Structural Obstacles

Several key barriers prevent the equal participation of women in leadership roles, undermining SDG 5 targets for full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership.

1. Career Interruptions: Societal norms often place a disproportionate burden of caregiving on women, leading to career breaks that are incorrectly perceived as “talent breaks.” This creates significant hurdles for re-entry and progression.
2. Lack of Institutional Support: A widespread lack of flexible work policies, mentorship, and sponsorship programs prevents women from balancing professional and personal responsibilities, leading to higher attrition rates at mid-career levels.
3. Funding and Investment Bias: Female-led enterprises, particularly in the FemTech sector, face severe underfunding. Reports indicate that while women drive 80% of healthcare consumption decisions, they receive only 2% of venture capital funding, stifling innovation and economic empowerment (SDG 8).
4. Unconscious Bias: Pervasive biases in hiring and promotion processes favor traditional, male-centric leadership models, creating a “leaky pipeline” where qualified women are overlooked for senior positions.

Strategic Interventions for Achieving SDG Alignment

Corporate Best Practices and Policy Recommendations

Forward-thinking organizations are implementing targeted strategies that align with SDG 5 and SDG 8, demonstrating a clear path toward gender parity.

• Structured Talent Development: Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories exemplifies a “farming” approach to talent, utilizing cadre programs with a mandated 50% intake of women and mid-career grooming initiatives to build a sustainable leadership pipeline. This has increased female representation in their leadership from 12% to 20% since 2019.
• Sponsorship and Flexibility: C K Birla Hospitals has institutionalized flexibility and sponsorship from top leadership. By offering remote work opportunities and flexible hours, they invest in retaining high-potential female leaders, achieving a leadership composition where women hold approximately 25% of senior roles.
• Return-to-Work Programs: Organizations like Avtar Group focus on reintegrating women into the workforce after career breaks, providing mentoring and flexible entry points that recognize and leverage their accumulated life experience and skills.

Recommendations for System-Wide Change

To accelerate progress towards the SDGs, a multi-stakeholder approach is required.

1. Mainstream Flexibility: Flexible work arrangements for all genders should be adopted as a standard operational norm, not a luxury, to promote work-life integration and support shared caregiving responsibilities, contributing to both SDG 5 and SDG 8.
2. Increase Investment in FemTech: Deliberate efforts must be made by investors and policymakers to close the funding gap for female founders to foster innovation in women’s health, directly supporting SDG 3 and SDG 5.
3. Promote Sponsorship and Mentorship: Formalize sponsorship programs within healthcare organizations to actively advocate for the promotion of high-potential women into executive roles.

Conclusion: Gender Equality as a Foundation for Resilient Healthcare

Empowering women in healthcare leadership is fundamental to India’s pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. Closing the gender gap is not an ancillary objective but a core strategy for enhancing health outcomes (SDG 3), achieving genuine gender equality (SDG 5), and fostering inclusive economic growth (SDG 8). The evidence presented indicates that structural changes, targeted corporate initiatives, and a shift in cultural mindset are essential to unlock the full potential of India’s healthcare workforce and build a more equitable and prosperous future for all.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article directly connects women’s leadership in healthcare to improved health outcomes and the creation of resilient healthcare systems. It also mentions India’s aspiration for universal health coverage and the need to build better health solutions, particularly in women’s health (FemTech).
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is the central theme of the article. It extensively discusses the underrepresentation of women in healthcare leadership positions, the gender pay gap, and the systemic barriers women face. It advocates for equal opportunities and women’s full participation in decision-making roles within the sector.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article addresses issues of employment, the gender pay gap, and the economic contribution of the healthcare sector to India’s growth. It highlights the need for equal pay for work of equal value and creating inclusive work environments that support retention and career progression for women.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article focuses on reducing gender-based inequality within a key economic sector. By advocating for closing the leadership and pay gaps, it directly addresses the goal of ensuring equal opportunity and reducing inequalities of outcome for women in the healthcare workforce.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage… The article explicitly states, “As India aspires to universal health coverage and to become a global healthcare hub, it cannot afford to leave half its leadership potential untapped.” This directly links the issue of women’s leadership to achieving this national health goal.
  • Target 3.c: Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce… The article discusses the projected growth of the healthcare workforce (“By 2030, the healthcare sector will add 8 million jobs and 40,000 leadership roles”) and emphasizes the importance of retaining women leaders through policies like flexibility and sponsorship.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. This is the core argument of the article. It highlights the disparity where women “comprise 80 percent of nurses, nearly a third of doctors… yet hold only 18 percent of leadership positions.” The entire discussion is centered on closing this leadership gap.
  • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article points to discriminatory practices, such as how “resumes of women were routinely discarded” after career breaks and the systemic neglect and underfunding of women’s health issues.
  • Target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality… The article showcases organizational policies that serve this target, such as “Structured return-to-work tracks, flexible work cultures, and deliberate talent pipelines” implemented by companies like CK Birla Hospitals and Dr. Reddy’s.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article directly addresses the pay gap, stating that women in India’s healthcare sector “earn 34 percent less than men.” It also advocates for creating opportunities for productive employment for women returning from career breaks.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… sex… The article is a call to action to empower and promote the economic inclusion of women into the highest levels of the healthcare sector, arguing that it is a “survival necessity” for organizations and central to India’s development.
  • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome… The article highlights the inequality of outcome where women form the majority of the workforce but a minority of leaders. It proposes solutions like mentorship, sponsorship, and cadre programs to ensure more equal opportunities for advancement.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

  • Indicator 5.5.2: Proportion of women in managerial positions. The article provides several data points for this indicator: women hold only “18 percent of leadership positions” in Indian healthcare, compared to a global figure where “only a quarter reach senior roles, and just 5 percent sit at the top.” Dr. Reddy’s progress from 12% to 20% women in leadership is a direct measure of this.
  • Indicator (Implied): Percentage of venture capital funding for female-founded enterprises. The article states that in FemTech, women “receive only 2% of funding,” which serves as a clear indicator of economic disparity and barriers for female entrepreneurs.
  • Indicator (Implied): Number of women re-entering the workforce. The article mentions that the organization Avtar “has since placed over 100,000 women back into the workforce,” which can be used as a measure of success for return-to-work programs.

• For SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)

  • Indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities. The article provides a direct measure for this through the gender pay gap, stating women “earn 34 percent less than men” in the sector.

• For SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

  • Indicator (Implied): Number of new jobs created in the health sector. The article projects that “By 2030, the healthcare sector will add 8 million jobs and 40,000 leadership roles,” providing a quantifiable target for workforce growth.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: health.economictimes.indiatimes.com