Las Palmas de G.C. – 03/06/2025. Healthcare professions have had a significant majority of women among their professionals for years. However, until relatively recently, professional colleges and administrative management bodies were predominantly occupied by men. Social changes and the growing demand for women's roles have driven a paradigm shift in the healthcare sector.
Currently, the Canary Islands reflect this transformation with the presence of a Minister of Health and, in the province of Las Palmas, with a majority of women heading the professional associations and their respective governing boards.
The debate, moderated by journalist Begoña Vera, highlighted how the traditional view of women as caregivers also influences how healthcare management is approached. As discussed during the panel, female experience and perspective offer a different way of leading, with greater attention to social needs and values, without neglecting economic sustainability.
The data clearly reflects the female presence in the sector: 90 %of occupational therapists are women, as are 84 % in nursing and 72 % in pharmacy, while in medicine the figure is already close to 60 %. These figures show that healthcare today has a clear female face, a trend that is expected to intensify in the future, given the high presence of women among students currently pursuing health-related studies.
During the meeting, the need to continue advancing in the incorporation of young women into leadership positions was also highlighted. In this regard, the importance of creating opportunities and role models that allow for overcoming the traditional roles that still limit the professional development of many women, linked to family or domestic care, was underscored.
Additionally, the role of language in making women visible in the healthcare field was discussed. “If the internal face of healthcare is female, why is the public face still male?” asked Rita Mendoza during the debate.
For her part, Elizabeth Hernández stated that “there are many battles ahead and it is necessary to know how to choose them,” while Loreto Gómez acknowledged that “it is a melon that we will have to open sooner rather than later,” referring to the debate that is also ongoing in the General Council.
In her opening remarks, the Minister of Health, Esther Monzón, congratulated the organization on the initiative and highlighted the importance of recognizing the role of women and promoting their presence in management and decision-making spaces within the healthcare sector, both in the Canary Islands and nationally.
