Overcoming the barriers to women’s leadership in eye health

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The shortage of female leaders in eye health is a matter of opportunity, not competence.

What is holding women back from leadership positions in eye health is the lack of opportunity, not competence. There is evidence showing that, if women get the opportunity to lead, they excel in bringing change at global, national, and community levels.

However, there are many barriers that prohibit women from advancing to leadership positions, including:

• Systematic disadvantages, gender biases and stereotypes being perpetuated by society

• The inflexible nature of health system structures

• Economic disparities and inequitable access to professional development opportunities for women and girls, such as mentoring and skills development

• Discrimination, workplace bullying, and sexual harassment

• Lack of recognition and respect

• The gender pay gap – i.e., fewer women in high-paying jobs – which contributes to women becoming demotivated.

Lessons from other sectors

Addressing these barriers requires long-term commitment, collaboration, effective and evidence-based strategies, and innovative and intentional interventions to bring a transformative change. A recent report¹ identified the following lessons from other sectors on how to boost women’s leadership in eye health.

Deliberately create opportunities for leadership Develop gender equity policies that encourage the involvement of women in leadership positions. For example, set up policies of equal representation of men and women on boards, as board chairs, on decision-making committees, and on recruitment panels.

Monitor progress Be clear about the change you are trying to make – i.e., set explicit targets. Then set up the right mechanisms to measure, monitor and communicate progress. The IAPB Gender Equity in Eye Health survey tracks a number of metrics, and might be a useful place to start (see the IAPB Gender Equity toolkit at bit.ly/IAPBgender).

Provide support Set up mentorship and sponsorship programmes specifically designed for aspiring women leaders, from an early career stage.

• Mentorship from a more senior colleague can provide women with career guidance, networking opportunities, and feedback and support to take on new roles and greater levels of responsibility.

• Sponsorship goes beyond the usual role of a mentor. Sponsors are senior colleagues who can use their position and influence to proactively advocate for women’s advancement, for example, nominating them for positions in leadership groups. This will help women to advance their leadership career and be at the head of the table when the time is right. ²

Fix the problem, not women Building the capacity of women as leaders is insufficient if systems aren’t changed, as women themselves are not the limiting factor. Even women in leadership positions cannot change the system independently, as evidenced by research and case studies that consistently highlight the need to address institutional and structural barriers.³

Removing structural barriers that may hold women back from achieving their leadership potential could include progressive organisational policies like flexible working (e.g., having flexible start and end times to the working day, and/or working from home some of the time), and forums for women to share their lived experiences. Supporting women to balance their paid work and unpaid parenting or caring roles could involve offering shared parental leave, childcare support, and women’s health benefits.

Note that women may face additional disadvantages related to age, disability, or ethnic group; additional supportive policies should be developed in collaboration with these groups.

Encourage men to support gender equity Men in positions of power and influence should be fully involved as strong allies in the development of women and fill the development gap by offering opportunities, mentorship, and sponsorship.

Men can help to bring about cultural change by breaking and challenging systemic and cultural biases toward women and contributing to a gender-inclusive environment.

Men can also help to break the ‘maternal wall’ of workplace discrimination against working mothers by eliminating the assumption that working mothers are less motivated to be involved in leadership positions than men,³ and advocating for a flexible and supportive working environment.⁴

Getting men in leadership positions onboard, however, requires strong advocacy and training on gender equity issues. A study showed that trained male executives were more likely to speak about gender inequity than their female counterparts.⁵

In conclusion, there are clear steps organisations and individuals can take to increase the proportion of women in eye health leadership positions. What we need most are people and organisations willing to take these steps.

References

1. The Fred Hollows Foundation. Women Deliver Eye Health; Let’s Reframe Who Leads It. 2023. bit.ly/WDEHfhf

2. Novotney A. Women Leaders MAKE Work Better. Here’s the Science Behind How to Promote Them. American Psychological Association. 2023 bit.ly/4kb2pW9

3. Roche. Women at the Helm of Healthcare Leadership: Why It Matters. 2024. bit.ly/4hRFkWP

4. Lee H. 5 Ways to Improve the Representation of Women in Leadership Positions. Johns Hopkins University. 2023. bit.ly/3CUTg37

5. Mattingly VP. Glass kickers: training men as allies to promote women in leadership: Colorado State University. 2018. bit.ly/3D9rx5Z