The problem of gender imbalance in EU digital healthcare

Healthcare already faces pervasive gender stereotypes, although unlike in other sectors where the stereotypes are of the sector as male-dominated, there are cliched notions of the roles of men and women in the space, particularly around women in caregiving roles, as nurses and care workers, rather than in research.

These gender stereotypes are beginning to change positively however, with the gender divide of doctors in Europe already comparable to the gender split in the population as a whole.

Healthcare is therefore often cited as an example of a sector that has managed to change the complexion of the workforce to no longer look like previous notions of the roles of men and women, into a more equitable environment at all levels. 

However, the digitalisation of healthcare is creating a new stark gender gap, and an ecosystem that has long benefited from gender diversity is now at risk of becoming skewed. 

The digitalisation of health has shown transformative innovations, from telemedicine to AI-driven diagnostics. However, the lack of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and ICT (information and communications technology) fields poses a significant barrier.

Currently, women make up 51 percent of the EU population, but only one in three STEM graduates and one-in-five ICT specialists are women. Even as the number of people working in these fields continues to grow, the proportion of women in STEM and ICT has remained stable.

This disparity critically influences who enters the digital healthcare space and who drives its sustainable development.

Diverse teams, better outcomes

With large amounts of research illustrating that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams in terms of decision-making and creativity, the importance of heterogeneity cannot be understated. This gap, if unaddressed, threatens to undermine one of the most significant overhauls the healthcare sector has ever seen.

While illustrating and exemplifying the gender gap in STEM is easy, untangling the myriad reasons why this gap exists in the first place, is not. Many barriers to female underrepresentation in the field are symbiotic, insofar as they feed into each other. The lack of representation in the field is compounded by the lack of female role models in the space, making these fields unattractive to women and girls, with research having shown that role models have a positive impact on girls’ perception of STEM subjects. The resultant lack of entry into STEM then compounds this problem, becoming a vicious cycle that only adds to the problem of under-representation. 

This gender gap in STEM is contributing to the evident and growing talent gap within healthcare across Europe, which threatens the sustainability and growth of the industry.

Long, arduous, and often expensive qualifications mean talent shortages exist across the board in healthcare. However, the need for digital skill sets in new and emerging roles in commercial and innovation settings is leading to exponential demand.

With the face of healthcare changing, and technology being more readily embraced and becoming more visible to patients, filling the STEM skills gap in healthcare is becoming a growing priority. The skills gap therefore becomes a double problem in healthcare, where the issues caused by talent shortages for key workers will soon be redoubled by the talent shortage in healthcare ICT.   

This is not merely a matter of representation or diversity, equity, and inclusion; it is an economic problem with far-reaching implications. Reducing the digital gender divide and increasing women’s participation in digital technology is crucial for Europe’s economic growth, promising a potential surge of €16bn annually. 

A balanced digital healthcare workforce is crucial for innovation, better patient outcomes, and the overall health of the ecosystem. This, in turn, can reduce healthcare costs and improve the overall quality of care. With research illustrating how diversity can help to unlock innovation, by ensuring that the innovation pipeline is varied, we avoid replicating existing gender inequalities through the innovations this workforce evolves. The vicious cycle of young girls not seeing females fully reflected in the field - and thus deciding against pursuing it as a career path – can, and must be, broken. 

Encouragingly, as awareness of the gender gap in STEM increases, employers are being seen to take note of the importance of gender diversity when it comes to their hiring practices.

Notably, a new report by the WorkinHealth Foundation, created by EIT Health, and the European Investment Fund, found that both health-focused and biotech-focused venture capitalist firms prioritise gender diversity in recruiting and career development, with over 90 percent of survey respondents indicating its importance. 

Policies and initiatives at both European and national levels are being implemented to bridge the gender digital skills gap in healthcare. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Union (EU) have been at the forefront of these efforts, through initiatives such as Girls Go Circular, which aims to equip young women with the necessary digital skills to thrive in various sectors, including healthcare.

Girls Go Circular has already made significant strides, empowering over 40,000 young women with digital competencies.

By directly addressing the lack of girls going into STEM, we can create a more balanced and innovative healthcare system that benefits everyone. Ensuring gender diversity in digital health is not just about achieving equality; it is about building a healthcare ecosystem that is resilient, inclusive, and capable of delivering the best possible outcomes for all patients.