Posted: October 30th, 2023

Performing a Gender Audit of UK Healthcare Organisation Leadership and Governance Boards

Performing a Gender Audit of UK Healthcare Organisation Leadership and Governance Boards
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Gender equality is a fundamental human right and a key driver of health outcomes, social justice and economic development. However, gender inequalities persist in the health and social care workforce, especially at the leadership level, where women are underrepresented, undervalued and underpaid. This blog post will present the rationale, methodology and findings of a gender audit conducted by our consultancy team for a UK healthcare organisation, with the aim of assessing the current state of gender balance and diversity in its leadership and governance structures, and providing recommendations for improvement.

What is a gender audit and why is it important?
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A gender audit is a participatory and self-assessment tool that examines how an organisation integrates gender equality principles and practices in its policies, programmes, processes, structures and culture. It also identifies gaps, challenges, opportunities and good practices for enhancing gender mainstreaming and achieving gender equality goals. A gender audit can help an organisation to:

– Align its vision, mission and values with national and international commitments on gender equality, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action.
– Improve its performance, accountability and transparency by ensuring that its policies, programmes and services are responsive to the needs, rights and preferences of women and men, girls and boys, and other groups facing multiple forms of discrimination.
– Foster a culture of inclusion, diversity and respect by promoting equal opportunities, participation and representation of women and men at all levels of decision-making, leadership and governance.
– Enhance its reputation, credibility and legitimacy by demonstrating its commitment to gender equality as a core value and a strategic priority.

How did we conduct the gender audit?
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We followed the Gender Audit Handbook developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO), which provides a comprehensive framework and methodology for conducting a gender audit in any type of organisation. The handbook outlines six steps for conducting a gender audit:

1. Preparing the organisation: We gained support from the senior leadership of the healthcare organisation, informed the staff about the purpose, process and benefits of the gender audit, and established a gender audit team composed of internal and external experts with relevant skills and experience.
2. Collecting information: We used a mixed-methods approach to collect quantitative and qualitative data from various sources, such as organisational documents, surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations and online platforms. We ensured that our data collection methods were ethical, inclusive, participatory and respectful of confidentiality.
3. Analysing information: We analysed the data using various tools, such as descriptive statistics, content analysis, SWOT analysis and gap analysis. We used a gender lens to examine how the organisation addresses gender equality issues in its policies, programmes, processes, structures and culture. We also compared our findings with national and international benchmarks and best practices on gender equality in healthcare leadership.
4. Validating information: We organised a validation workshop with key stakeholders from the organisation to present our preliminary findings, discuss their implications and solicit feedback. We also shared our draft report with the senior leadership and the gender audit team for their comments and inputs.
5. Developing an action plan: Based on our findings and recommendations, we developed an action plan with SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant
and time-bound) objectives, indicators, activities, responsibilities
and resources for improving gender equality in the organisation’s leadership
and governance structures. We also identified potential partners,
allies and champions who could support the implementation
of the action plan.
6. Reporting and follow-up: We finalised our report
and presented it to the senior leadership
and the staff of the organisation.
We also proposed a monitoring
and evaluation system to track
the progress
and impact of the action plan.
We agreed on a follow-up mechanism
to provide technical assistance
and guidance to the organisation
as needed.

What did we find out?
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Our gender audit revealed that:

– The healthcare organisation has a clear vision,
mission and values that reflect its commitment
to gender equality as a core value
and a strategic priority.
It also has a gender policy
that provides a framework
for integrating gender equality principles
and practices in its policies,
programmes,
processes,
structures
and culture.
– The healthcare organisation has made some progress
in increasing the proportion of women
in leadership roles across its board,
executive team,
senior management team
and clinical directors.
However,
there is still work remaining
to achieve its target of 50:50
gender balance by 2023,
as set by NHS Improvement in 2016.
The proportion of women in leadership roles varies across different levels,
functions
and regions,
with some areas having more women than men,
and others having more men than women.
– The healthcare organisation faces some challenges
in ensuring that its policies,
programmes
and services are responsive
to the needs,
rights
and preferences of women
and men,
girls
and boys,
and other groups facing multiple forms of discrimination.
For example,
it lacks a systematic approach
to conducting gender analysis,
gender budgeting
and gender impact assessment
in its planning,
implementation
and evaluation processes.
It also has limited data
and evidence on the gender dimensions
of health outcomes,
health needs,
health behaviours
and health service utilisation.
– The healthcare organisation has a positive culture
of inclusion,
diversity
and respect,
where staff feel valued,
supported
and empowered.
However,
there are some issues
that affect the working environment
and the career progression of women
and men in the organisation.
For example,
some staff experience gender stereotypes,
bias
and discrimination in their roles
and responsibilities.
Some staff also face work-life balance challenges,
such as long working hours,
lack of flexible working arrangements
and inadequate childcare support.

What did we recommend?
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Based on our findings, we recommended that the healthcare organisation should:

– Strengthen its leadership and governance structures to ensure that they are gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive, and that they promote equal opportunities, participation and representation of women and men at all levels of decision-making. This could include setting and monitoring gender targets, quotas and indicators, implementing positive action measures, such as mentoring, coaching and sponsorship programmes, and establishing accountability and incentive mechanisms, such as performance appraisal, recognition and reward systems.
– Enhance its policies, programmes and services to ensure that they are gender-responsive, evidence-based and tailored to the needs, rights and preferences of women and men, girls and boys, and other groups facing multiple forms of discrimination. This could include conducting gender analysis, gender budgeting and gender impact assessment in its planning, implementation and evaluation processes, collecting and analysing sex-disaggregated and gender-sensitive data and evidence on health outcomes, health needs, health behaviours and health service utilisation, and developing and implementing gender-specific interventions, such as gender-based violence prevention and response, sexual and reproductive health and rights, maternal and child health, mental health and well-being, etc.
– Foster a culture of inclusion, diversity and respect that values the contributions, perspectives and experiences of women and men in the organisation. This could include raising awareness and building capacity on gender equality issues among staff at all levels, addressing gender stereotypes, bias and discrimination in roles and responsibilities, enhancing work-life balance by providing flexible working arrangements and childcare support, creating a safe and supportive working environment that prevents and responds to harassment, bullying and violence, and encouraging dialogue, feedback and learning among staff on gender equality issues.

How can you learn more? Need help writing my assignment If you are interested in learning more about our gender audit methodology, findings and recommendations, you can access our full report here: [link to report]. You can also contact us at [email address] for any questions or comments. We would love to hear from you!

References
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– Closing the leadership gap: gender equity and leadership in the global health and care workforce. Policy action paper. World Health Organization. 2021. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/341636/9789240025905-eng.pdf
– Gender equality in NHS leadership requires further progress. National Health Executive. 2020. https://www.nationalhealthexecutive.com/articles/gender-equality-nhs-leadership
– Gender diversity in the public sector: how much progress have we made? The King’s Fund. 2013. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/judy-taylor-gender-diversity-in-the-public-sector-nov13.pdf
– The Gender Audit Handbook: A tool for organisational self-assessment and transformation. International Labour Organization. 2010. https://www.rcrc-resilience-southeastasia.org/document/the-gender-audit-handbook-a-tool-for-organisational-self-assessment-and-transformation-2010/
– Gender Mainstreaming Gender audit: A methodology for organisations to self-assess their progress in mainstreaming gender. European Institute for Gender Equality. 2016. https://eige.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/mh0218737enn_002_0.pdf

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