En France, 52.5% of hospital doctors are women. However, the difficult access of these women to positions of responsibility in hospitals tends to suggest that they too are faced with a “glass ceiling” that is particularly difficult to break.
Why are so few women in hospital management positions? Why so few women deans, or university professors-hospital practitioners (PU-PH)?
When all the studies show that diversity is an undeniable factor of cohesion and social innovation, that the feminization of positions of responsibility influences the performance of organizations, it would be logical for the establishments on which our health system is based to make greater use of women for their skills, expertise and managerial capacities, at all levels of healthcare decision-making.
Prejudices and stereotypes
And yet… At a time when health remains one of the main concerns of the French, sexism and stereotypes remain very present in the hospital environment.
Discrimination is even widely denounced there by female doctors: in the latest Ipsos-Give them to health barometer, 85% of them have been confronted with it during their career. At the same time, women consider themselves less satisfied than men with their professional life and declare that their work-life balance could be greatly improved.
This barometer, published in April, also reveals an increase in sexist behavior and actions, which can be explained by the persistence of prejudices and gender stereotypes within the hospital: women are faced with difficult arbitrations at the start of their careers to succeed their professional life, when the question of this ambition and these choices arises less crucially for men.
The management of maternity leave, in the majority of cases not replaced, or the absence of crèche places make the management of career paths more complex. However, this study also shows that women want to participate in the important decisions of their hospital, even to invest themselves fully in it.
Capitalize on real mobilization
In this important period of our political life, what about the measures to fight effectively against these phenomena of sexism and discrimination that women doctors face on a daily basis? Need we remember that these stereotypes of power weaken the health system and the quality of care delivered?
You have 30.11% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.