Data from the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2020 states that 70 percent of health workers worldwide are women. This phenomenon, based on a journal article compiled by Geordan Shannon and colleagues in 2019, is referred to as the "feminization of the health profession."
Unfortunately, women's interest in moving into the world of health is still hindered by gender inequality. Female health workers are still unable to determine the direction of their careers because they have to clash with other factors. Starting from family, close relatives, parents to the patriarchal-conservative views that are still strong in Indonesian society.
Baed on those facts, researcher Ade W. Prastyani from the Center for Public Mental Health, Gadjah Mada University conducted qualitative research related to the influence of social demands on health workers' efforts to hone their professional skills.
The subject of this research was nurses' interest in joining Nusantara Sehat, the Indonesia government's effort to equalize the distribution of health workers. Since its inception in 2015, the program has sent more than 7,000 nurses to remote and isolated areas to serve.
In addition to nurses, there are eight other health professionals participating in Nusantara Sehat. They are doctors, dentists, midwives, public health workers, environmental health workers, health laboratory analysts, pharmaceuticals, and nutritionists.
Many nurses are interested in joining Nusantara Sehat. The reason is that they see the opportunity to gain experience and career development as wide open. Moreover, it must be recognized that until now, the absorption rate of graduates of the Nursing Academy and Midwifery Academy is still far from ideal. However, this noble intention is hindered by several things.
Of the 48 health workers who are currently on active contracts or have completed the Nusantara Sehat program contract, Ade also found the fact that decisions regarding work locations must be approved by close family.
From this brief explanation, it can be concluded that parents, family and marriage are factors that determine the direction of a nurse's career.
A midwife may decide not to join Nusantara Sehat because she doesn't have her husband's permission. In some other cases, parents' desire to see their children settle down soon prevented them from serving in a remote area for two years. Not to mention if it turns out that the husband considers his wife no longer obliged to work after marriage.
So what about those who have served for two years at Nusantara Sehat? These influencing factors still determine the direction of a nurse's career. A nurse may choose to temporarily step away from work because she has a duty to look after her parents and cannot bear to leave them alone.
In the end, gender roles that are still rigid in a conservative society like Indonesia limit the career choices of a female health worker. Ade writes that the impact will be felt in the economic position and professional power held in the health system.
The husband's decision, which is often unilateral, must be accepted by the wife gracefully. Either not allowed to work far from where they live or even asked to quit on the grounds of "serving the husband." Not only in the case of Nusantara Sehat, but also in overall career advancement.
Ade writes that the public must see the impact of these gender roles on the distribution of health workers. The increasing number will certainly be useless if it is not accompanied by a more equitable distribution of work, instead of "piling up" in certain areas.
The impact of gender roles, Ade said, can be traced back to the education and health systems that fail to consider gender factors. It is important to underline that women's representation in the health professional workforce will be a strength and benefit for the community itself.
So, if everyone is willing to discuss openly, we will understand what women want for their careers. Because, humans have no right to drive other humans' choices, right?
References :
Shannon, G., Minckas, N., Tan, D., Haghparast-Bidgoli, H., Batura, N., & Mannell, J. (2019). Feminisation of the health workforce and wage conditions of Health Professions: An exploratory analysis. Human Resources for Health, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-019-0406-0
Prastyani, A. W. (2022, November 17). Riset Tenaga kesehatan perempuan: Himpitan peran gender Sangat Pengaruhi Karier Mereka. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/riset-tenaga-kesehatan-perempuan-himpitan-peran-gender-sangat-pengaruhi-karier-mereka-129219
