Breaking barriers and building bridges: reimagining a feminist health workforce

• Published in: BMJ (Online) Vol. 381; p. 1268
• Main Authors: Orth, Zaida, Meyer, Zesca, Singh, Sagri, Riha, Johanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England British Medical Journal Publishing Group 02.06.2023; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Empowerment; Environmental factors; Feminism; Gender; Health Workforce; Humans; Medical personnel; Minority & ethnic groups; Opinion; Womens health
• ISSN: 1756-1833; 1756-1833
• DOI: 10.1136/bmj.p1268

At its core, primary healthcare is a holistic approach that recognises the interconnectedness of social, economic, and environmental factors in determining health outcomes.12 Similarly, feminist principles centre on the recognition of systemic inequalities and the need for intersectional approaches that prioritise the voices and experiences of marginalised groups.45101113 As such, feminism goes beyond advocating for women's rights—rather it involves confronting the systemic challenges women and many others face in society. Feminism provides a pragmatic framework that applies to everyone irrespective of sex and gender and puts the onus on everyone in society—everyone in the health workforce—to overcome the systematic power structures that run along socially constructed lines including race, gender, and class which affect who gets what, who decides what, who sets the agenda, and who does what.11 For us, reimagining a feminist health workforce, which includes all those involved from policy formulation to care provision, involves reimagining a few key aspects. Deep structures refer to the hidden cultural and organisational norms and patterns of behaviour that are often unspoken, yet strongly shape actions and behaviours at work.1011 This is evidenced in the deep-rooted gender norms in communities that define the activities and services assigned to female frontline health workers and their career pathways.15 A feminist workforce does not shy away from collectively confronting uncomfortable truths to interrogate and transform the internalised social norms and practices that perpetuate inequalities and power imbalances operating within the health system and private settings.