This report from the Health Care and Women Leaders Network is about the information that they collected from male senior leaders. They asked them for their views on the barriers that women face in getting to leadership roles in the NHS. They also did a tweet chat that attracted 12 million impressions and drew a wide range of views.
I thought that these were compelling quotes:
“Being an ally is more than just saying you are – it needs to be reflected in actions and behaviours. And it can sometimes feel uncomfortable. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable if we are to tackle this”. (Tweet chat contributor.)
“We need to change mindsets, if my emergency department performance drops off I know I’ll get a phone call, I won’t get a call if my board isn’t 50/50 by 2020.”
“Not all men working in the NHS will necessarily embrace or even understand the drive for gender balance. Some will feel threatened by it”.
Issues that they identified
Other important findings were that they drew attention to issues with
- Women not putting themselves forwards.
- Networking events not being available for women.
- Recruitment in own image by men.
- Long hours culture
Solutions
- Learn why greater diversity and gender balance is helpful
- Encourage different models of working
- Challenge assumptions
- Support personal development
- Recognise that this may be challenging for men.
The full report can be found here.
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