Mohamadamin Kani A, Shabila Nazar P
Directorate of Health, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Kurdistan Higher Council of Medical Specialties, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Hum Resour Health. 2025 Aug 19;23(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s12960-025-01016-0.
Women play a vital role in the healthcare sector, but the level of their involvement in leadership and the related challenges are not well-understood in the Iraqi context. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate women's experiences in healthcare leadership and identify the challenges and opportunities to improve their leadership roles.
This cross-sectional study was based on a self-administered questionnaire survey conducted from July to December 2024 in Erbil, Iraq, on a random sample of 371 female healthcare staff members selected from healthcare settings. Women's viewpoints and experiences were measured based on Likert-scale questions.
Of the 371 participants, 13.2% had received training on leadership and 27% had been in leadership positions, most as heads of hospital and primary healthcare center units (72.3%), and most evaluated this experience as positive (92.1%). Most of the study participants had experienced a woman as a leader in the workplace (84.6%) and positively evaluated this experience (45.3%), with 13.5% reporting a negative experience. More than half of the participants (58.5%) were ready to take leadership positions. Most participants (69.6%) perceived women as successful leaders, with 63.3% accepting women in leadership roles and 82.8% believing women possess sufficient self-confidence for leadership. Most participants considered offering daycare services for mothers (89.2%) and providing leadership training programs (78.2%) essential opportunities for women to take leadership positions. Postgraduate education [OR = 2.7 (95%CI 1.1-6.3)], working in the directorate of health [OR = 5.3 (95%CI 2.2-13.0)], and receiving training [OR = 6.3 (95%CI 3.0-13.4)] were independent factors significantly associated with taking leadership positions by women.
This study highlights the untapped potential of women in healthcare leadership, with many women demonstrating readiness for leadership roles and reporting positive leadership experiences. Addressing societal barriers through institutional policies and leadership programs, including structured leadership training, and childcare support, is crucial to advancing women in healthcare leadership. Further in-depth investigations are critical to exploring the sociocultural and communal factors.
女性在医疗保健领域发挥着至关重要的作用，但在伊拉克背景下，她们在领导岗位上的参与程度以及相关挑战尚未得到充分理解。因此，本研究旨在调查女性在医疗保健领导方面的经历，并确定改善其领导角色的挑战和机遇。
本横断面研究基于2024年7月至12月在伊拉克埃尔比勒对从医疗机构中随机抽取的371名女性医护人员进行的自填式问卷调查。女性的观点和经历通过李克特量表问题进行衡量。
在371名参与者中，13.2%接受过领导力培训，27%担任过领导职务，其中大多数担任医院和初级医疗保健中心科室负责人（72.3%），大多数人对这段经历给予积极评价（92.1%）。大多数研究参与者在工作场所曾有过女性领导者（84.6%），并对这段经历给予积极评价（45.3%），13.5%报告有负面经历。超过一半的参与者（58.5%）准备好担任领导职务。大多数参与者（69.6%）认为女性是成功的领导者，63.3%接受女性担任领导角色，82.8%认为女性具备足够的领导自信。大多数参与者认为为母亲提供日托服务（89.2%）和提供领导力培训项目（78.2%）是女性担任领导职务的重要机遇。研究生教育[OR = 2.7（95%CI 1.1 - 6.3）]、在卫生局工作[OR = 5.3（95%CI 2.2 - 13.0）]以及接受培训[OR = 6.3（95%CI 3.0 - 13.4）]是与女性担任领导职务显著相关的独立因素。
本研究突出了女性在医疗保健领导方面尚未开发的潜力，许多女性表现出担任领导角色的意愿并报告了积极的领导经历。通过机构政策和领导项目，包括结构化的领导力培训和儿童保育支持来消除社会障碍，对于推动女性在医疗保健领导方面的发展至关重要。进一步深入调查对于探索社会文化和社区因素至关重要。
