Women hold more executive leadership roles in the medtech industry today than they did 20 years ago, but there’s still a long way to go.
There is still a women’s leadership gap in the U.S., though. According to a report from the Centers for American Progress, women hold 52% of professional jobs in the U.S. Only 14.6% are CEOs. A mere 8.1% are top earners, and a scant 4.6% are Fortune 500 CEOs. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also reports that only a fifth of executives, senior officers and managers in the U.S. high-tech industries are women.
Keeping with the theme of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, here are seven women medtech executives making a difference in the industry.
Most of the positions reported are what I consider fairly high stress positions that require a lot of good decision making under pressure. That is not the sort of position that I would choose to be in. So it seems that perhaps these women, in addition to having talent in their areas, have selected these positions because they are willing to deal with the stress level. As Americans they are certainly entitled to make that choice, and likewise, as an American, I am allowed to make a different choice.
My point being that perhaps the reality is that fewer women choose such high stress positions because they understand what is demanded. Lack of a specific group in a specific area does not prove anything is my point. Perhaps not everybody would choose that high stress level no matter what the compensation. I did not select that high a stress level, perhaps others likewise chose positions with lower stress levels.