Strengthening systems of accountability for women’s leadership in the health sector

People working in health sectors are generally familiar with the concept of accountability for standards and quality in delivery of care.1 This means that individuals and organisations are compelled to take responsibility for their actions and inactions. Mechanisms for accountability can include clinical audits, professional training requirements, and ultimately public scrutiny under the auspices of public inquiries, courts, or parliamentary review.2 In this analysis, we move beyond the question of accountability for healthcare delivery and explore accountability for equality of opportunity in health sector careers, with a focus on women’s leadership. We use a broad definition of the health sector to include public and private health organisations beyond those directly delivering care. At the top of the sector’s leadership pyramids, large inequities exist in the demographic profiles of leaders. Just 44 women were among 194 ministers of health in 20203; a mere 10.4% of US Fortune 500 healthcare companies had…
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