Women: an undervalued resource in Healthcare management in Kenya

To better understand the dynamics involved in the gender issues in managerial leadership, this qualitative research explores the common features in the path of women aiming for top leadership or management in the healthcare industry in Kenya but currently at the level of middle management. The general objective of the study was to determine forces affecting the attainment of managerial leadership positions among women in the Kenyan health sector. Phenomenology was applied as the research design. The constructivism approach is utilized, thereby making sense of the perspectives of female leaders through a feminist lens; because the issues are only regarded from a female point of view. There were three specific objectives asked to cover three domains that contribute to managerial leadership, i.e. the role of gender in job negotiations, issues surrounding work-life balance and factors that motivate women to seek leadership positions. The stories were derived by conducting eight interviews with women in these positions. The questions asked were open ended to facilitate free flow response and elicit personal experiences from the interviewees.