Table 3.
Illustrative quotes.
| Systemic/cultural factors |
| “Lingering norms about what women can/can’t do and how they should/shouldn’t act in professional situations hold women back and subtly but powerfully discourage them from pursuing or being considered for leadership roles.” |
| “Implicit bias still exists significantly …(regarding) how a woman is supposed to run her life and behave compared to men. If we speak up, we are still treated like bitches vs. men are simply (seen as) assertive and speaking their mind. And women are… (judged by) whether or not they have children and the spouse. Either way we can’t win. Much easier for men. I don’t know that this is specific to global health though.” |
| Mentorship and sponsorship |
| “While there are many women working in lower level positions in global health organizations and government positions related to global health, there are many fewer women working in high level positions, which means there are fewer mentors available to help us navigate the different things that make a global health career more challenging for women. Having mentors that understand what it means to not be respected by male colleagues and men in upper level positions, who encourage you to speak up, who understand that there are different safety concerns to consider when working in the field in any country for women is invaluable.” |
| Need for Support |
| “There simply is not enough support from men. Men and the socialization of men to not actively integrate, support, or stand up for their women counter-parts has shaped an ethos where women’s voices are consistently unheard.” |
| “(We need more) programs that support mid-career women. Most new programs are aimed at early-career or students, which is great, but that has to continue through mid-career to get women into the C-suite.” |
| Role Conflict and work/life balance |
| “Women will do anything for their families. If faced with a trying situation… career suffers.” |
| “Our biology for making and rearing babies who become global citizens, while truly unique and beautiful, is so time consuming. There is a misconception that if women work outside the home (much more in some settings than other, very strong here in Mexico), they are neglecting their child rearing role and their children will be negatively affective by this. Social expectations and norms are so strong, and it is impossible to be everywhere and to do everything at once.” |
| Women are our own worst enemies |
| “I think for me currently, the biggest challenge is not extrinsic, it is intrinsic. I do not have the self-confidence that I can be a leader in this field yet and need to change how I act to change this.” “I’ve (had) problems with other women thinking they support women in leadership but (are) actually undermining other women. It’s a topic that is rarely discussed but if women are going to make progress we have to take a long hard look at how women do and don’t support each other.” |
| Additional challenges for women of color and other marginalized groups |
| “Considering a woman’s intersectionality (the other traits that work in combination to create bias (ageism, racism, genderism, etc.)) is also important to address so that as we work as women we do not recreate similar inequalities as historic systems have allowed.” |
| Differences in male and female leadership styles |
| “I think men and male-created institutions still define what a good leader (is) with a gendered lens. As a woman leading an organization…. I am judged according to a male-centric definition of leadership.” |