Stepping into a hospital lobby, you see that most of the nurses, technicians, and support staff are women. Yet, the names on the plaques of department heads and CEOs lining the walls are overwhelmingly male. From the hospital, you walk into a research lab where decisions about diseases impacting half the world’s population are made by teams that often forget to consider women at all.
It’s a startling disconnect: Women drive the healthcare industry and are its primary consumers, yet the system itself doesn’t reflect their needs, leadership, or priorities. Women make up half of the United States’ population, yet their needs, experiences, and voices in the healthcare field are consistently overlooked. Why? Understanding this imbalance isn’t just about numbers; it’s about the structural hurdles that keep women from shaping an industry they essentially sustain. Let’s break it down.
The disparities stretch from medical research and clinical trials to leadership roles, exposing a systemic issue rooted in bias and inequality. While women are highly represented in the healthcare workforce, they remain underrepresented in decision-making positions. The lack of female leadership affects research priorities, workplace dynamics, and even the quality of care women receive.
The Gender Gap in Medical Research
Medical research has a history of marginalizing women. For decades, women were excluded from clinical trials under the assumption that findings from male-dominated studies would apply equally to both sexes. This flawed logic led to significant gaps in understanding how diseases uniquely affect women.
“Women’s health deserves to be taken more seriously across the board. Just 6 years ago, in 2019, women became the majority in medical school for the first time in history. It’s no coincidence that women’s health disparities are getting more attention by the media and healthcare policy makers – it coincides with the increase of women physicians,” says DoorSpace CEO Sarah M. Worthy.
Even in areas primarily affecting women, such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), research is underfunded and lacks urgency. Conditions like these affect millions, yet awareness, diagnostic tools, and treatments lag behind diseases with similar prevalence rates. When women’s health issues are disregarded at the research level, the ripple effects cascade into clinical practice and overall public health outcomes.
“There needs to be a continual opportunity for education, in order to establish a high level of care all around. Health executives need to prioritize growth at every level, so that both women and men can be taken care of,” continues Worthy.
The Disparity in Leadership
The healthcare workforce skews heavily female—women comprise approximately 70% of global healthcare workers. However, only about 25% of leadership positions in healthcare organizations are held by women, and the numbers dwindle further in executive roles. The disconnect is jarring. Women dominate as nurses, therapists, and other essential caregivers but remain outnumbered in policy-making positions that set research priorities, funding allocations, and institutional goals.
This discrepancy isn’t due to a lack of qualifications. Women in medicine earn degrees at rates equal to or greater than their male peers and excel in clinical practice. Yet barriers such as gender bias, unequal pay, lack of mentorship, and the disproportionate burden of caregiving responsibilities create a “glass ceiling” that prevents them from advancing into leadership roles.
“Asking why these disparities exist is the wrong question – the right question is how do we get more women in healthcare leadership positions because when women are in charge of healthcare, patients get better results,” concludes Worthy.
The consequences are far-reaching. When men dominate decision-making roles, policies and funding often reflect priorities that overlook gender-specific needs. Female-led organizations, by contrast, tend to place greater emphasis on collaborative, inclusive practices and prioritizing patient outcomes over profit margins. Closing this leadership gap could therefore reshape the healthcare system for the better.
