Interview
Women leaders tend to utilise a more democratic form of leadership Gender diversity in leadership roles is extremely important in healthcare assuming 50 per cent of the patient population is women. Ishiqa Multani, Executive Director, Sagar Group of Hospitals reveals more in interaction with M Neelam Kachhap
Ishiqa Multani Executive Director, Sagar Group of Hospitals
70 per cent of the healthcare workforce is made up of women, but less than 25 per cent are in leadership positions. Is this true for the Indian healthcare sector? Women occupy few leadership positions in the healthcare sector. In an Indian context, I would agree with that assertion. The majority of women in healthcare play a lower-ranking role. Furthermore, as a woman, getting to the highest offices in healthcare takes a lot of work, given that there are more constraining factors that make it challenging for women to climb the ladder of leadership. Many of the C-Suite executives and department heads in healthcare organisations are men. A gender balance across levels is non-existent and will remain elusive unless proactive measures are taken to eliminate the obstacles that keep women from reaching leadership positions. Despite women occupying less than 25 per cent of leadership positions, an increase in numbers is not only possible but imperative for improving the diversity of leadership in the healthcare sector so that the system can realise its full potential for
the benefit of employees and patients. What are the main constraints for women to reach leadership positions in healthcare? There are many constraints keeping women positions
from in
reaching healthcare.
leadership A
primary
restriction is that many organisations are not ready to hire women for top executive positions. Even when they hire women for leadership positions, women tend to be held to higher standards than men. If a male leader commits a mistake, he is bound to receive more grace than a female leader. An additional constraining factor is that women tend to have more family responsibilities that do not allow them the flexibility needed to be leaders in an organisation. In an Indian context, the woman’s domain is the house and the kitchen. Even if women climb up the ladder of leadership, they are still expected to ensure that they do not neglect their household duties which can be mentally and physically taxing. Compared to men, women are much more likely to choose their families over their work, which may keep them away
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