The role of mentorship in advancing women in the healthcare C-suite

“Do not make decisions based on emotions.” “Show people grace.” “Assume actions come from a place of good intent.” “Leading is a privilege.” “It’s okay to make mistakes.”

These are just a few of the lessons women in executive healthcare leadership roles reported receiving from mentors who significantly shaped their leadership journeys — lessons that often emphasize emotional regulation, humility, and empathy.

While valuable, this type of mentorship advice tends to reflect the gendered expectations placed on women in leadership and may fall short of preparing them for the strategic, assertive demands of C-suite advancement.

According to a report by Oliver Wyman on women in healthcare leadership, women comprise approximately 65% of the healthcare workforce but occupy only about 30% of executive roles within payer and provider organizations. The disparity is even more pronounced at the CEO level, with men holding 87% of positions.¹

Despite heightened awareness of these disparities, women remain significantly underrepresented in senior roles, even though they consistently demonstrate leadership competencies equal to or exceeding those of their male counterparts. Persistent systemic barriers such as gender bias, limited career advancement pathways, and wage inequities continue to obstruct their progress.

To better understand how women ascend in healthcare leadership and the factors contributing to their success, the study, “Overcoming Barriers and Creating Opportunity for Females in Healthcare C-Suites: The Perspectives of Existing Leaders and Learning from Their Success,” examined the career trajectories of female healthcare executives. A qualitative research approach was selected for deep exploration of individual perceptions, behaviors, and experiences in real-world contexts to support the transferability of leadership development programs for women in healthcare.

Using a participatory action research (PAR) framework, open-ended, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 women in healthcare executive roles via Webex. Interviews allowed participants to freely reflect on their leadership journeys, the barriers they faced, and the support systems that helped them succeed — particularly the role of mentorship.