Files and links (1)
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Dismantling pervasive gender stereotypes in healthcare leadership contexts with an ecological systems theory approach
Journal of management & organization, Vol.30(6), pp.2223-2254
01/11/2024
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
Metrics
33 Record Views
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Abstract
Leadership emergence is fraught with pervasive gender stereotypes, and women remain underrepresented in senior leadership roles, particularly in healthcare organisations. We apply ecological systems theory to explain how environmental factors enable or inhibit women’s leadership emergence in healthcare settings. We interviewed 17 senior female leaders in the Australian healthcare sector to explore how gender-related perceptions affected their leadership journeys. Five themes emerged that challenge existing narratives: men supported women’s advancement; women impeded other women’s progress; vulnerability was a leadership strength; ambitious women were ostracised; and women were ‘given’ leadership opportunities rather than actively pursuing them. By situating these findings within the ecological systems theory framework, we highlight the interplay of individual and contextual influences across ecosystem levels. Our study offers a novel perspective on gender stereotypes in leadership emergence, advancing ecological systems theory by extending it into a new field. We provide recommendations at individual, organisational, community, and societal levels to empower women leaders.
Details
- Title
- Dismantling pervasive gender stereotypes in healthcare leadership contexts with an ecological systems theory approach
- Creators
- Andrei A. Lux - Edith Cowan UniversityNasim Salehi - Bond UniversityDiarmuid Hurley - Southern Cross UniversityElizabeth Emanuel - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Journal of management & organization, Vol.30(6), pp.2223-2254
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press; CAMBRIDGE
- Number of pages
- 32
- Grant note
- This study was funded in part by the School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University.
- Identifiers
- 991013258563802368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2025.
- Academic Unit
- Nursing; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article