Women Leaders in Health Forum Strategy 2019-2022

The strategy identifies the priorities and strategic directions the Forum will take in the short, medium, and long term to address the current situation of women leaders in health in Jordan. Jordan, a middle-income country with limited natural resources, has an area of 89,300 km2 and a population of almost 10.1 million, including 4.7 million women (47 percent of the population). The country's health sector is among the best in the Middle East, with basic health indicators reflecting this, including an average life expectancy of 73.2 years and a significant decrease in maternal deaths from pregnancy and childbirth. However, Jordan's Global Gender Gap Report ranking of 135th out of 144 countries highlights the poor economic participation of women, with an unemployment rate of 27.8 percent and 84 percent of women economically inactive. Women represent only seven percent of senior management positions in the public sector, and within the health sector, approximately 44% of the total health workforce are women, but female health professionals hold a disproportionately low number of managerial positions. The issue of gender-based equity and women's access to managerial and leadership positions is of global interest, and Jordan has a long history of supporting programs aimed at increasing gender-based equity in the workplace. Studies have shown that high levels of women's participation in leadership will increase economic growth rates in the kingdom and increase the well-being of the family on a personal level. The USAID-funded Human Resources for Health in 2030 (HRH2030) Activity conducted a 2017 research study, "The Barriers and Enablers of Women's Career Progression to Management Positions in Jordan's Health Sector," to identify the obstacles to equal opportunities for men and women working in health professions and to assist the health sector in providing the necessary information and evidence for policymaking. The study found that nearly three-quarters (73.2 percent) of women reported having the skills and abilities required for their professional advancement, but most participants (64.0 percent of men and 77.2 percent of women) reported that men do not want to share authority with women. Sixty-one percent of men in health professions believe that women are less capable than men of managing the institution, and about one-third of women indicated that "the lack of women holding public/direct administrative positions" and "discrimination against women" are obstacles to their career advancement. The Women Leaders in Health Forum Strategy 2019-2022 aims to address these obstacles and promote the advancement of women to senior management positions, enhancing the effectiveness of the health system and improving national and international health outcomes. The strategy will focus on empowering women in Jordan and increasing their chances and opportunities for assuming leading positions at all levels in the health sector. The health sector in Jordan consists of health policymakers (councils and institutions) as well as sectors providing health services (public, private, international, and charitable). The policymaking process for the health sector in Jordan occurs mainly through the High Health Council, in accordance with its law No. 9 of 1999 and its amendments in 2017. Other institutions in the health sector participate in the development of health policy, such as the Jordan Medical Council, the Higher Population Council, the National Council for Family Affairs, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, and the Joint Procurement Department. Evidence has shown that when women assume leadership positions in health systems, the result is achievement of more equitable health outputs, especially for women and girls. However, the gender inequality present in the Jordanian health system reduces the chances of women's taking managerial and leadership positions. An unpublished study of the gender distribution of Ministry of Health staff in 2015 showed that women constituted 53.8 percent of ministry staff, but held only a small percentage of management positions. The Women Leaders in Health Forum Strategy 2019-2022 aims to address these challenges and promote the advancement of women to senior management positions, enhancing the effectiveness of the health system and improving national and international health outcomes.