Leadership in Healthcare - Assignment Example

Not only the women remained underrepresented in the top decision making circles, but there is also a limit and extent to the kind of leadership roles accessible to women (Lantz & Maryland, 2008). The irony is that gender inequality and underrepresentation is not a monolithic issue, but rather a multifaceted problem presenting varied key areas that need to be systematically addressed to augment and enhance gender equality in healthcare services. This white paper intends to assort and elaborate on certain key areas that not only constrain the empowerment and representation of women in healthcare services, but that need to be approached and addressed in a systematic and concerted manner at individual, institutional and policy making level to pave the way for a more inclusive and participatory work environment.

The very identification of these key areas is the first and utterly pragmatic step in that direction. Envisaged in a much broader context, the women in healthcare services, as in other professional areas and avenues, do have to contend with the limitations attendant on them, ensuing from the stereotypical gender roles and patriarchal division of labor on the domestic front. Thereby, in a pragmatic context, the domestic events like child birth, taking care of a sick family member, attending to the aged family members, etc, do impact the career decisions and choices of women more drastically as compared to their male counterparts (Hauck, Bayes & Robertson, 2012, p. 178). For instance, in a majority of the households, the need to make work related adjustments like opting for less challenging professional positions, working part time or temporarily withdrawing from professional responsibilities upon child birth is more imminent on women as compared to men.

Thereby, it is not a surprise that women end up getting underrepresented and underemployed in a health care scenario, in which the avenues for work life balance are tweaked in consonance with the