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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS Global Public Health

Towards gender parity: An analysis of leadership management teams in Tanzania’s health sector

  • Henry Mollel1
  • Sara Dada2
  • Anosisye Kesale3
  • Brynne Gilmore4
  • Eilish McAuliffe5
  • Magreth Thadei Mwakilasa6
  • Ntuli Kapologwe7
  • Ziada Sellah
  • Agnes Mpinga
7 affiliations
  1. 1Mzumbe University - Centre of Excellence in Health Monitoring and Evaluation, Morogoro, Tanzania
  2. 2UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
  3. 3School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
  4. 4School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
  5. 5Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
  6. 6East Central and Southern Africa Health Community, Arusha, Tanzania
  7. 7Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dodoma, Tanzania
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Abstract

Women constitute the majority of the health workforce globally and in Tanzania, yet remain underrepresented in leadership roles, particularly at higher levels. Despite national commitments to gender equality and various supportive policies, analysis of gender representation in health sector leadership in Tanzania is limited. This study presents the analysis of gender representation in leadership across three healthcare levels of Tanzania’s health system, Regional Health Management Teams (RHMTs), Council Health Management Teams (CHMTs), and Health Facility Management Teams (HFMTs). This study used secondary data collected by a government ministry in 2022 from 20 out of 26 regions of mainland Tanzania, representing over two-thirds of the country’s regions. The analysis examined 9,120 leadership positions. Descriptive statistics were done using Excel. Results show that while gender representation is nearing parity overall for less powerful roles, notable disparities remain based on role and level of seniority. The highest proportion of women is found in HFMTs at 48.9%, followed by a decline at the CHMTs level to 41.5%, and further to 39.5% in the RHMTs. This trend is similarly evident in leadership roles such as Medical Officers In-Charge, where women represent 29.8% at the HFMT level, but their presence drops to 17.6% among District Medical Officers and just 11.1% among Regional Medical Officers. Gender representation also varies geographically and by facility type, with lower-level facilities generally showing more equitable gender distributions. The findings reflect the ongoing need for gender-transformative leadership strategies, including targeted mentorship, equitable promotion practices, and inclusive workplace cultures.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{mollel2026towards,
  title = {{Towards gender parity: An analysis of leadership management teams in Tanzania’s health sector}},
  author = {Henry Mollel and Sara Dada and Anosisye Kesale and Brynne Gilmore and Eilish McAuliffe and Magreth Thadei Mwakilasa and Ntuli Kapologwe and Ziada Sellah and Agnes Mpinga},
  journal = {PLOS Global Public Health},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pgph.0006813},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006813},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Towards gender parity: An analysis of leadership management teams in Tanzania’s health sector
AU  - Henry Mollel
AU  - Sara Dada
AU  - Anosisye Kesale
AU  - Brynne Gilmore
AU  - Eilish McAuliffe
AU  - Magreth Thadei Mwakilasa
AU  - Ntuli Kapologwe
AU  - Ziada Sellah
AU  - Agnes Mpinga
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
JO  - PLOS Global Public Health
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006813
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006813
AB  - Women constitute the majority of the health workforce globally and in Tanzania, yet remain underrepresented in leadership roles, particularly at higher levels. Despite national commitments to gender equality and various supportive policies, analysis of gender representation in health sector leadership in Tanzania is limited. This study presents the analysis of gender representation in leadership across three healthcare levels of Tanzania’s health system, Regional Health Management Teams (RHMTs), Council Health Management Teams (CHMTs), and Health Facility Management Teams (HFMTs). This study used secondary data collected by a government ministry in 2022 from 20 out of 26 regions of mainland Tanzania, representing over two-thirds of the country’s regions. The analysis examined 9,120 leadership positions. Descriptive statistics were done using Excel. Results show that while gender representation is nearing parity overall for less powerful roles, notable disparities remain based on role and level of seniority. The highest proportion of women is found in HFMTs at 48.9%, followed by a decline at the CHMTs level to 41.5%, and further to 39.5% in the RHMTs. This trend is similarly evident in leadership roles such as Medical Officers In-Charge, where women represent 29.8% at the HFMT level, but their presence drops to 17.6% among District Medical Officers and just 11.1% among Regional Medical Officers. Gender representation also varies geographically and by facility type, with lower-level facilities generally showing more equitable gender distributions. The findings reflect the ongoing need for gender-transformative leadership strategies, including targeted mentorship, equitable promotion practices, and inclusive workplace cultures.
SN  - 2767-3375
ER  -