Becker's Hospital Review

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 65 How to tear the 'paper ceiling' By Alexis Kayser Y ou've probably heard of the "glass ceiling": the social barrier that prevents women's advancement to top leadership roles. Now, a similar term has been coined for those without a bachelor's degree: the "paper ceiling." e term was popularized by Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit organization that encourages upward mobility and economic opportunity for workers who did not attend college. More than 60 percent of American adults do not have a university diploma, according to a recent report from Quartz. When degrees are required, 76 percent of Black, 83 percent of Latino, 81 percent of rural and nearly 70 percent of veteran workers are drained from the talent pool. To make job mobility more accessible, major companies — like Kellogg's, General Motors and Bank of America — are dropping degree requirements from some job postings, and certain states — including Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Utah — are removing them from public sector jobs. Nearly 50 organizations mobilized to rip the paper ceiling in fall 2022, acknowledging that many jobs that ask for a bachelor's degree could actually be performed with on-the- job training, community college learning or certificate programs. Healthcare's paper ceiling can be tougher to tear, as many clinician roles require specialized training. But some degree requirements are wants, not needs, and eliminating them can open up a broader talent pool. is could prove especially useful as the industry continues battling staffing shortages. Catherine Codispoti currently serves as executive vice president and chief people officer at Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Hospital and will assume the role at St. Louis-based Mercy in the fall. She works closely with Children's National's chief diversity officer, Denice Cora-Bramble, MD, to eliminate paper ceilings from job descriptions. "We've taken a very critical look at our job descriptions to try and increase the pools," Ms. Codispoti told Becker's. "If we said we want somebody with a master's or a bachelor's degree, do they have to have that? We've actually changed that pretty significantly and have really increased our sourcing pool." n Women's unpaid caregiving labor is worth $627B By Alexis Kayser A common scapegoat for the gender wage gap now has numeric value: U.S. women would collectively make an additional $627 billion per year if paid for their caregiving work. That figure comes from the 2022 American Time Use Survey, conducted by the National Partnership for Women & Families. The report found that women spend 52 minutes per day, on average, caring for children and other family members — almost double the time men spend on similar tasks. If she earned the mean wage of $14.55 per hour for child care workers or home aides, the average American woman would bring home an additional $4,600 annually. Unpaid caregiving labor costs financial opportunity for everyone, regardless of gender, according to the report. Men's unpaid caregiving work is worth more than $300 billion per year, costing each individual $2,300 annually. n 3 female leaders in healthcare named to Forbes' 50 over 50 By Mariah Taylor Three female hospital leaders were named in Forbes' "50 over 50" list for innovation. The list highlights women doing "their most innovative, impactful work at 50, 60, 70 and beyond." The list includes hospitals and healthcare companies that work to innovate in the field. Here are the three female leaders in healthcare who made the list: 1. April Anthony, 56, CEO of VitalCaring Group, a home health and hospice care firm. 2. Joanna Strober, 55, founder of a telehealth platform called Midi Health for women experiencing menopause. 3. Jian Zhang, DNP, 56, CEO of San Francisco-based Chinese Hospital. n

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