Men and women as pharmacy managers

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Services Research
• Gender Studies in Healthcare

Background:

• Understanding gender disparities in professional roles is crucial for equitable workforce development.
• Previous research suggests underrepresentation of women in leadership positions within healthcare.
• The specific context of pharmacy practice settings warrants investigation into gender-based managerial roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the representation of male and female pharmacists in managerial positions across hospital, independent, and chain-store pharmacies.
• To identify factors influencing pharmacists' positions, including sex, age, experience, and education.
• To analyze gender-based differences in career progression within different pharmacy practice environments.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide survey was conducted using a 12-page questionnaire distributed to 2100 pharmacists.
• Discriminant analysis was employed to examine variables such as sex, age, years with employer, practice history, and educational level.
• Data from 767 completed questionnaires (39.6% response rate) were analyzed, with women comprising 57.6% of the sample.

Main Results:

• Women pharmacists were significantly underrepresented in managerial positions across all three practice settings.
• Hospital pharmacies had a higher percentage of women in management compared to independently owned or chain-store pharmacies (p ≤ 0.001).
• Advanced education was a significant factor for positions in hospital pharmacies, while pharmacist's sex was the strongest predictor in community pharmacies.

Conclusions:

• Women pharmacists face underrepresentation in management roles in hospital and community pharmacy settings.
• Hospital pharmacy settings appear more conducive to women's advancement into management compared to community settings.
• Addressing gender disparities in pharmacy leadership requires targeted strategies, particularly in community pharmacy environments.