Women’s Participation in Leadership Roles in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service

Abstract

Introduction

Like other public safety professions, paramedicine has historically been a male-dominated occupation. Although women are increasingly choosing paramedicine as a career, participation in leadership roles remains limited. Drawing on data from a comprehensive mental health survey, we describe the proportion of women in leadership in a single, large, urban paramedic service in Ontario, Canada.

Methods

We distributed an in-person, paper-based survey during the fall 2019 - winter 2020 continuing medical education sessions. Participating paramedics completed a demographic questionnaire alongside a battery of mental health screening tools. We assessed the demography of the workforce and explored differences in employment classification, educational achievement, clinician level (e.g., primary vs. advanced care), and participation in formal leadership roles along self-reported gender lines.

Results

Out of 607 paramedics attending, we received 600 completed surveys, with 11 excluded for missing data, leaving 589 for analysis and a 97% response rate. Women comprised 40% of the active-duty paramedic workforce, with an average of 8 years of experience. Compared to men, women were more than twice as likely to have university degrees (odds ratio [OR] 2.02, 95% compatibility interval [CI] 1.45–2.83), but almost half as likely to practice at the advanced care paramedic level (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.42–0.88), and potentially less likely to be employed full-time (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.54–1.09). Women were nearly 70% less likely to hold leadership roles in the service compared to men (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.14–0.90), occupying 20% of leadership positions.

Conclusion

Although paramedicine is witnessing an encouraging shift in the demography of its workforce, our results point to a potential under-representation of women in leadership roles. Future research should focus on identifying and ameliorating barriers to career advancement among women and other historically underrepresented people.

Data Availability Statement

Data for this study may be made available on a case-by-case basis by contacting the principal investigator. This requires a formal data sharing agreement and may be subject to approval by a research ethics board.

Disclosure Statement

Authors JM, SS, & DAB are employed by Peel Regional Paramedic Services and completed this study as part of a broader psychological health and safety research program sponsored by the Region of Peel. Author EAD reports no interests to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This study received funding from a catalyst grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR #201809PPS) and in-kind support from Peel Regional Paramedic Services.