Exemplary Introduction of Gender Mainstreaming in two Saxon Hospitals

For a number of years now hospitals have had to face a shortage of doctors. Besides lack of financial benefits concern has been expressed about a loss of societal recognition and unfavourable general and working conditions within hospitals. Fundamental changes are therefore required which should take into consideration the desired private manner of shaping one's life and the different needs and interests arising from the doctors and other staff. Gender Mainstreaming is a organisational change process that contributes to these overall restructuring tasks in hospitals as well as to more gender sensitivity and gender equality.

Hospital of the Future

In order to initiate appropriate improvements and demonstrate how to put into practice gender justice and family-friendly policies it is important to look at hospitals as workplaces. Ongoing restructuring and transformation processes make it a challenge to implement gender-just and family-friendly general conditions, structures and work flows. Close ties between Gender Mainstreaming and organisational development is therefore essential to successfully and durably implement Gender Mainstreaming in hospitals.

The Saxon Social Ministry has therefore funded the model-project “Exemplary Introduction of Gender Mainstreaming in two Saxon Hospitals”. It was coordinated and monitored by ISOE in cooperation with Brigitte Wagner Management Consultancy and Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine (BIPS/Bremen University).

Introducing Gender Mainstreaming in Two Model Hospitals

Based on gender-related organisation analysis recommendations on the implementation of Gender Mainstreaming were developed for two hospitals: the “Oberlausitz-Kliniken gGmbH” and the “St. Elisabeth-Krankenhaus Leipzig”. Based on a broadly designed analysis of framework-conditions and staff management, organisational culture as well as on the operational and organisational structure, the current situation was presented and assessed under gender perspective. The findings were then used to develop a 'Gender Action Plan' as the groundwork to initiate and carry out measures for change. Gender Mainstreaming in the two hospitals mentioned above systematically created awareness for the necessities of private life, interests and needs of employees with the aim to arrange structures and work flows in a way that they contribute to a reasonable work-life-balance.

Doctors and other staff as well as hospitals in their capacity as an economic entity are meant to profit from future gender-just and family-friendly organisational structures and working conditions. So on the one hand possibilities and potentials of introducing Gender Mainstreaming were illustrated and on the other hand feasible ways of implementation were elaborated.

Handbook for Generalisation and Wider-Spread Diffusion

The model-like implementation in the two hospitals is forming the basis for generalisation and for a broader use of the obtained findings. A guideline will be produced to sum up advices and recommendations on the acquirement of a conception and the realisation of Gender Mainstreaming implementation processes. This handbook outlines practical ways of how to create gender-just and family-friendly framework structures and working conditions taking internal and external circumstances into consideration and thereby contributing to improve the attractiveness of the medical profession within the realm of hospitals.

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