Closing The Health Leadership Gender Gap

By Lucy Rose

Watching President Biden’s address to Congress on his 100th day, I was overjoyed by the historic sight of a president flanked by two women on the podium. Seeing Vice President Harris and Speaker Pelosi take their seats, I celebrated women’s leadership growth in politics.

But, though women have made great strides in political leadership, there remains a significant gap in numerous other areas; in particular, there is a lack of female leadership in the healthcare ecosystem. In fact, women make up 65% of workers in the health sector and are responsible for approximately 80% of consumer buying and healthcare decisions in the United States. Yet, they make up barely one-third of senior leadership positions within the industry and only 13% of CEOs. This gap is particularly harmful in numerous ways, and it must be closed.