‘Gender is not even a side issue…it’s a non-issue’: career trajectories and experiences from the perspective of male and female healthcare managers in Kenya.

Despite increased efforts at global, regional, and country level to promote gender equality, women continue to be under-represented in leadership positions across a range of sectors and geographic regions. In the health sector specifically, women comprise a substantial proportion of the global health workforce. However, women are over-represented in lower-paying, lower-status occupations and their representation declines with respect to higher professional categories including managerial and decision-making positions.

This under-representation of women in leadership and managerial positions has resulted in increased research interest around gender and leadership. Nevertheless, the role of gender in healthcare leadership in low and middle-income (LMIC) settings remains under-researched; with existing research largely focusing on corporate settings or the healthcare industry in high-income contexts. In regard to this, The KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme undertook a study to understand and explore career progression and experiences of healthcare leaders at sub-national level in Kenya.

Link to the article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31329845
For more information, contact Dr. Kui Muraya | Email: Kmuraya@kemri-wellcome.org