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It’s that time of year again, on International Women’s Day, when we are reminded of women’s invaluable contributions to society and across all sectors, especially in healthcare, where female professionals form the backbone of communities worldwide. On March 8th, 2026, the world will come together under the theme “Give To Gain,” emphasising the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organisations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase.
Women’s Careers in Healthcare
Despite some major advancements being achieved in terms of women’s equality, there is still a lot of room for improvement especially when it comes to women advancing their careers in healthcare. According to the World Health Organisation, despite women making up roughly 67%–70% of the overall global health and social care workforce they hold only 25% of senior leadership roles in healthcare. Another sobering statistic in healthcare is women represent 77% of non-management positions, but this drops to only 28% in top management.
Equal Access to Education
One factor which can help address these issues is equality of access to education. Equality of access to education really matters to women, especially when they face so many barriers to advancement in their careers such as:
Systemic Biases: Women in healthcare are nearly twice as likely to be mistaken for someone more junior.1
Unpaid Care Burden: Women in healthcare spend roughly 18% of their time on unpaid care work (caring for family), compared to just 5% for men, hindering career advancement.1
Lack of Support: Only 30% of female professionals in the sector believe their employer provides adequate workplace support for specific health issues, such as menopause or fertility.2
Salary Gaps: In public health, women are less likely to be compensated at the top of the pay scale, with only 14% of women earning over $105,000 compared to 20% of men.3
Giving Women in Healthcare Opportunities to Succeed
At iheed, we pride ourselves on providing online medical education courses that enable equal access to education. The 100% online and flexible nature of our medical education courses enables all types of students to access them whether it be a busy doctor who is raising a young family or an A&E nurse who has a very busy and demanding schedule. The gender breakdown of our faculty and graduates reflect our continuous drive to support equal access to education and opportunities, with women making up 60% of our programme graduates and 60% of our faculty. This is also reflected in our senior leadership team at iheed which is made up of women with Rebecca Patterson leading on the commercial side as general manager and head of revenue, Barbara Coen leading on the product development side and Clodagh Conway heading the Academic Affairs department. From clinical practice and midwifery to research and education, women are the backbone of global healthcare. Their commitment to medical innovation and community well-being continues to drive essential progress in health outcomes worldwide.
“The majority of the global health workforce are women — many balancing professional care with care at home. At iheed, we believe education should support their lives, not disrupt them. With 60% of our own team made up of women, we are proud to be women empowering global female healers.” – Rebecca Patterson, General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer, iheed.
Shining a Light on the Achievements of Women in Healthcare
At iheed, we don’t just observe International Women’s Day; we live its values by doing all we can to support women in healthcare through online education and champion their successes. Today, we shine a spotlight on the incredible women within healthcare and also within iheed. Their expertise and dedication are the engines of our excellence. We’re committed to a future where recognition and opportunity are as boundless as their talent.
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