BERLIN, Germany – (HealthTech Wire / News) – A recent HIMSS Europe survey revealed that female professionals in health IT across a multitude of European countries believe that there is not enough recognition of the contribution women executives make in the industry. The findings were made public during the HIMSS Europe 18 and Health 2.0 Conference in Sitges, Barcelona on 28 May.
Healthcare and IT professionals from across Europe provided their views
about women in healthcare. The majority of the respondents have a clinical or IT systems background, with a range of professional titles, including; physicians, nurses, hospital C-suite, pharmacists or programmers/developers, amongst others.
Sufficient recognition of women executives?
A staggering 93.33% of the respondents think there is not enough recognition of the contribution women executives make in the industry. This is an increase by 4% from the results found in the HIMSS Europe Women in Health IT Survey 2016.
The report also highlights some of the most pressing challenges faced by women in the workplace: while diversity at work is being promoted in more than half of the surveyed organisations (59.46%), only 40% of the respondents are immune to gender-based discrimination. Lower chances of promotion, lower salary and unequal workplace treatment are among the most common forms of discrimination for the 60% of respondents who reported experience with gender-based discrimination, an increase by 3% from the 2016 survey results.
“Working more to demonstrate value” was the most common answer to the open-end questions on how women cope with gender-based discrimination in the workplace. Other recurring responses included ignoring the bias or talking to women colleagues in HR who appear to be more sensitive to gender-based complaints.
Angela Velkova, Senior Communities Manager at HIMSS Europe commented on the findings: “Women in our community include doctors, nurses, executives, IT professionals, educators, entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists, students, and more. The results of the 2018 Survey are worrisome but they also reveal an important role HIMSS can serve in reversing the trends in Europe. In addition to keeping the spotlight on achievements and ongoing commitment by women leaders, HIMSS Europe will continue to provide professional resources to facilitate the career advancement of women in digital health professions as well as connecting the community globally with peers in the United States, Middle East and Asia. We have made it our priority to address the gender gap within the industry and we are happy to have found a gr
eat support for this within the organisation and across the membership.
Elena Sini, CIO of the IRCCS Humanitas in Italy, HIMSS Europe Governing Council and HIMSS Women in Health IT Community Member, said: “Unfortunately, the WHIT survey shows once again that gender disparity is a reality when it comes to compensation also in the health IT workforce.
“In my opinion, mentoring programs and networking events are key in breaking down barriers and empower women in order to achieve their own success!”
Editor’s notes:
HIMSS Europe Annual Women in Health IT Survey enquiries: Angela Velkova (avelkova@himss.org)
Press & communications enquiries: Inés Burton (iburton@himss.org)