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According to the National Institute of Statistics, the number of registered health professionals in Spain is 946,5151 (in 2022, the latest data), and by gender, 295,065 men and women. 651,450, women.
that it Health sector professions have already been feminized At this point, demographic development and its causes no longer receive as much attention as there has been some change or transformation associated with it in health care.
There will be those who think, perhaps rightly, that little has changed when Historically Women have played a health-related function, and while their presence in faculties of medicine and pharmacy, for example, has gradually increased since the end of the nineteenth century, and the same has happened with their integration into the labor market, this has not presented any problem.
But whether there are significant changes or those that are not related to the feminization process is not something that can, and should, be mentioned lightly. Absence of specific studies In our system.
the HR They are the main assets of the health sector and everything about them matters, especially the changing demographics, preferences and needs of new generations of professionals. When we talk about feminization, we usually resort to what is easy: what if motherhood and raising children, what if caring for the elderly, etc. If all of this, which also affects male health workers, is not an obstacle in a historically female profession such as nursing, then why is it an obstacle in medicine and elsewhere?
Feminization in the health sector must be carefully studied Emphasizing the absence of any gender equality In working conditions and salaries and in access to positions of responsibility, if the work environment were now free of sexual harassment, if the human factor (with feminization) had more weight in helping, if the form of organization changed to facilitate greater teamwork, if female leadership was less vertical and more Participatory, if there is more attention to women's health conditions, if there is less overtime and how this affects the private sector, if the relationship with suppliers (pharmaceuticals, health products, technological industries), etc.
A comprehensive analysis should also be done to see if it is true that feminization has contributed to this Lack of professionalsalthough this seems far-fetched, considering that today's young professionals in any sector, regardless of their gender, refuse to live solely for the sake of work, just as previous generations did, and demand the ability to reconcile professional and personal life, and Not just to take care of children or the elderly.
But I insist that all these questions cannot be answered with a clear eye, but with evidence; That's by saying, With data, not impressions. It is the way to know whether it is necessary to adopt policies and legislative measures to allow women and men to develop under equal conditions and opportunities in their respective health professions, for the simple fact that their satisfaction, health and well-being depend on it, and ultimately improve the quality, safety, efficiency and sustainability of the care system. Our health.
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