A scoping review and stakeholder analysis of the status, enablers, and barriers of women’s leadership in Namibia’s health sector

Women comprise 70% of the health workforce worldwide. The majority of frontline healthcare providers, caregivers, and care deciders are women. However, they remain a minority in global health leadership, and their critical role in health is often overlooked. Given the global and Namibian gender inequality in women’s leadership in health, this study was conducted to determine the status, enablers, and barriers to women’s leadership in health in the country. This study employed a scoping review, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist, and a stakeholder analysis that followed a descriptive qualitative research design. Several databases and websites were searched for relevant publications and documents published in English. Eight participants took part in the stakeholder analysis, which involved semi-structured Zoom interviews. Data were analyzed thematically. Nine publications were included in the scoping review. In 2022, females comprised 72% of the public health sector workforce in Namibia, but 100% of the executive positions in the Ministry of Health and Social Services were held by males. Enablers of women’s leadership in health included maternity leave, study leave, and provisions that allow women to apply for high-level positions. In contrast, barriers to women’s leadership in health included a lack of confidence among women, limited economic resources to advance their education, family responsibilities, and other reproductive roles. From the stakeholder analysis, four themes and thirteen subthemes emerged on the enablers, while three themes and six subthemes emerged on the barriers. Namibia has several progressive policies and laws that, on paper, should promote the inclusion of women in leadership positions. However, the implementation of these laws and policies seems to be lacking. It is therefore imperative that the government establish a committee to monitor compliance with these policies and regulations.