Saudi women's leadership experiences in the healthcare sector: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Gender equality in the workforce and the promotion of woman leadership is critical to economic growth and the sustainable development of society and the global community. However, gender diversity in leadership positions is a concern as women continue to be underrepresented. Ensuring equal opportunities in leadership positions in the health sector can help advance the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore Saudi women's perspectives and leadership experiences at senior-level positions in the healthcare sector. METHODS: A descriptive qualitative approach was adopted to address the study aim. This included nine semi-structured interviews with Saudi women who have held leadership positions in the health sector over the past ten years. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted by adopting the six phases. RESULTS: The results showed that internal factors, such as qualifications, experience, and the innate qualities of a winner, are the most important factors that contribute to women's leadership. Women's role expectations, gender norms, and the patriarchal nature of the community have a negative impact on women's leadership. One of the new findings of this study was negative attitudes and lack of support from female colleagues. CONCLUSION: Women leaders in health care in Saudi Arabia share similarities and differences with women leaders around the world. However, the Saudi community has its own social norms and gender roles that cannot be denied. While Vision 2030 brought a number of positive changes in women's empowerment that participants spoke of, more research is needed to explore men's perceptions, which can complete the picture and lead to organizational improvement and changes.

The socio-cultural factors behind the Saudi attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination: A survey-based study.

Introduction: Vaccine distrust and rejection are thought to contribute to disease outbreaks and increased mortality. The present study aimed to analyze the socio-cultural characteristics and attitudes of the Saudi population toward vaccines, using a cross-sectional survey-based approach. Methods: An online questionnaire was used, following the snowball method. A total of 444 people responded, of whom 333 (75%) were female, and 111 (25%) were male. Results: The demographic characteristics associated with vaccine confidence were gender, job type, medical problems, and knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. The hesitancy was highest (31.17%) among individuals aged 21-30 years old, and in more males (27.03%) expressed hesitancy than females (25.23%). However, if we focused on the percentage of the refusal to receive the vaccine, more females (15.23%) refused the vaccine than males (4.5%). More than one-third of the vaccine-hesitant respondents had limited knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms. Personal characteristics associated with vaccine confidence were described as the following: do not fully trust vaccines produced in a short time (42.1%), fear of the future results of the vaccine (30.4%), reluctance to allow a foreign material to enter the body (17.6%), no interaction with others, so no need for the vaccine (11.5%), low interaction with people (67.8%), and reluctance to make decisions (11.3%). The primary social motivation for getting the vaccine was to get back to normal life (67.6%). Discussion: The results of the present study revealed that more than half of the respondents in Saudi Arabia were confident about the vaccine (61.7%), while only 25.7% were hesitant and 12.6% were unconvinced. Based on these results, in the early period of COVID-19 vaccine administration in the country (early 2021), before any governmental allowance and political intervention, we found that the socio-demographic and socio-cultural characteristics of the population were significant factors contributing to vaccination acceptance. Therefore, policymakers should support long-term safety studies of the vaccine, conduct educational programs giving high-priority to the populations' health, and tailor vaccination hesitancy reduction techniques to local communities.