Gender equality in global health leadership: Cross-sectional survey of global health graduates

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kathryn Yount, Emory University; Yuk Fai Cheong, Emory University; Stephanie Miedema, Emory University; Julia S. Chen, Emory University; Elizabeth Menstell, Emory University; Lauren Maxwell, Emory University; Usha Ramakrishnan, Emory University; Cari Jo Clark, Emory University; Roger William Rochat, Emory University; Carlos del Rio, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2019-12-23
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2019.1701057
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Global Public Health
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 852
• End Page: 864
• Keywords: global health workforce; global health training; leadership; gender equality
• Research Categories: Sociology, Public and Social Welfare; Gender Studies

Abstract

Women comprise two-thirds of the global-health (GH) workforce but are underrepresented in leadership. GH departments are platforms to advance gender equality in GH leadership. Using a survey of graduates from one GH department, we compared women's and men's post-training career agency and GH employment and assessed whether gender gaps in training accounted for gender gaps in career outcomes. Master-of-Public-Health (MPH) and mid-career-fellow alumni since 2010 received a 31-question online survey. Forty-four per cent of MPH alum and 24% of fellows responded. Using logistic regression, we tested gender gaps in training satisfaction, career agency, and GH employment, unadjusted and adjusted for training received. Women (N = 293) reported lower satisfaction with training (M7.6 vs 8.2) and career agency (leadership ability: M6.3 vs 7.4) than men (N = 60). Women more often than men acquired methods-related skills (95% vs 78%), employment recommendations (42% vs 18%), and group membership. Men more often than women acquired leadership training (43% vs 23%), award recommendations (53% vs 17%), and conference support (65% vs 35%). Women and men had similar odds of GH employment. Accounting for confounders and gender-gaps in training eliminated gender gaps in five of six career-agency outcomes. Panel studies of women's and men's career trajectories in GH are needed.