Women in the NHS miss out on top jobs because of a ‘glass elevator’ that sees men soar to managerial posts, a study suggests.
University of Liverpool researchers looked at areas such as physiotherapy, occupational health and radiography. They found that, while women occupied most posts, they tended not to achieve high positions.
NHS Employers, which represents employers in the health service, said it was working to introduce measures to provide all workers with the same opportunities.
The NHS is the third largest employer in the world, employing about 1.3 million people.
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Almost twice as many men as women hold senior positions, although 80% of staff are women.
The researchers surveyed nearly 1,500 men and women working in professions allied to medicine, such as physiotherapy and radiography. The majority felt there was still an ‘old boy’s network’ in existence, and there was too little diversity at board level.
