By Stephanie Otanoigbe Omoarebun
In many parts of the world including Nigeria, leadership in politics and professional associations remains heavily male-dominated. Yet there is growing evidence that increasing women’s participation in leadership, especially in sectors like healthcare, significantly improves governance outcomes and service delivery.
The time has come for society to fully embrace and encourage more women to take on leadership roles not as tokens, and not under pressure from quotas, but because their involvement brings unique perspectives, qualities, and skills that strengthen institutions and create healthier communities.
Globally, women make up nearly half of the population. In the healthcare sector, they often form the majority of the workforce. Yet, women remain underrepresented when it comes to leadership positions, whether in government or professional bodies.
Based on a 2024 UN Women report, women occupied just 26.7 percent of national parliamentary seats worldwide. In healthcare-related associations, the numbers are even lower. Nigeria is no exception.
Yet modern leadership demands more than just authority or technical experience. The complex challenges we face such as public health crises, systemic inequality and climate-related health threats, require leaders who can build trust, foster collaboration, bring empathy and resilience to the fore. These are the qualities many women bring naturally through their experiences as carers, nurturers, and community builders.
Throughout history, women have been the backbone of families, communities, and healthcare systems. Their leadership style often emphasises listening, consensus building, empathy, and inclusiveness. In contrast to rigid, hierarchical models of leadership, this approach has proven especially effective in healthcare and governance where compassion and human connection are critical.
Consider Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state and former President of Liberia, for instance. In the face of civil war and a devastating Ebola outbreak, her leadership blended strategic governance with deep empathy. By engaging communities and fostering international cooperation, she helped steer Liberia through a major public health crisis.
Another example is Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian Prime Minister and former Director General of the World Health Organization. She championed the link between public health and sustainable development, showing how women leaders can bridge sectors and create holistic, people-centred policies.
Bringing more women into governance is not just about fairness or representation. There is clear evidence that it improves outcomes, especially in healthcare. A study published in The Lancet found that countries with greater numbers of female lawmakers enjoy better public health indicators, such as lower child mortality rates. This is no coincidence. Women in leadership often prioritise healthcare, education, and social protections, services that directly improve family and community wellbeing.
Rwanda offers a striking example. With women holding more than 60 percent of parliamentary seats, the country has made remarkable gains in healthcare, expanding community based health insurance and dramatically reducing maternal and child mortality. These advances stem from policy choices shaped by women lawmakers who understand the real life needs of families.
Closer to home, we have seen Nigerian women leaders such as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, now Director General of the World Trade Organization, champion vaccine equity and health financing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though her role is global and economic, her leadership has had a direct impact on public health outcomes across Africa.
Despite these successes, women still face considerable barriers to leadership. Deep-seated gender biases, cultural stereotypes, lack of access to professional networks, and limited mentorship continue to hold many women back, and contribute to this imbalance.
Women are too often perceived as “too emotional or indecisive” – qualities wrongly seen as leadership weaknesses. In truth, emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage people, is one of the most valuable traits in modern leadership, particularly in healthcare, where empathy is essential.
In many professional associations, women form the operational backbone but are too often passed over for top roles. Without deliberate efforts to dismantle these barriers, society will continue to miss out on the full potential of its leadership talent pool.
Professional associations and regulatory bodies play a critical role in shaping national policy, setting standards, and developing future leaders. When women lead these organisations, the impact is significant. For example, Dr. Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief of Nature, has championed efforts to make scientific publishing more inclusive, demonstrating how diverse leadership can transform organisational culture. In healthcare associations, women leaders often drive policies on workplace safety, mental health, and community engagement, areas that have long been overlooked.
Here in Nigeria, many of the most impactful grassroots health initiatives, maternal health outreach, public education on disease prevention, are driven by women, even when they do not receive formal recognition or leadership positions.
Calling for more women in leadership is not just a gender issue – it is a public health imperative.
When women lead healthcare systems receive stronger investment; policies prioritise families, preventive care, and communities; leadership becomes more transparent, ethical, and compassionate; responses to health crises are more trusted and effective. In an era of pandemic threats, climate-related health impacts, and rising inequality, these leadership qualities are more urgently needed than ever.
We must begin to rethink leadership, not as an exercise in dominance, but as an act of stewardship. And that vision cannot be realised without women. Encouraging more women into leadership roles, in politics, professional associations, and healthcare institutions, will build stronger, more resilient systems that truly serve our people.
To achieve this, we must actively remove barriers, foster mentorship, and promote leadership cultures that value empathy and collaboration. The future of healthcare, and indeed the future of good governance, depends on it.
· Omoarebun, a public health professional and chairman of the Young Medical Laboratory Scientists Forum, FCT Chapter, writes from Abuja