Gender Equity and Impedes of Career Progression in the Nursing Profession in Khomas Region of Namibia

Introduction Women had for years endured impediments at the workplace in many aspects such as gender inequity and low pace of career advancement. The status quo is persistent despite the enactment of legal frameworks institutionalized to redress gender disparities in the workforce. Aim This study strives to explore gender equity, assess the magnitude of women in decision-making and to ascertain impediments that humper career progression in nursing. Method This study utilized secondary data collected from a thesis titled ‘Gender equity and career progression in the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Khomas region of Namibia.The main study employed a mixed method approach to collect information through interviews. Tools Two separate semi-structured interview guides that comprised of both set of close-ended and open-ended questions were employed to gather information from selected respondents and the key informant. Results The conception that women in nursing are less successful in their careers in comparison to their male colleagues is contrary to the study findings as managerial positions at the studied institutions are held by women. Cultural factors are found to hold less significance in impeding career progression at Ministry of Health and Social Services as opposed to organizational hierarchical structure. Conclusion The feminization of the nursing career that led to the predominance of female in profession is still unopposed as the profession is not showing a sign of equilibrium of the two genders.