industry & reform
LASA NextGen ambassador Dr Tanvi Dalal . All photos : Supplied
Taking the lead
A special feature shining a spotlight on women leaders in aged care .
By Eleanor Campbell and Conor Burke
Women make up the absolute majority of the healthcare workforce in Australia . It is not even close .
At last check , of the 366,000-odd aged care workers , nearly nine in 10 workers in aged care were female ( 87 per cent of those in residential care , and 89 per cent of those in home care or home support ).
In the broader healthcare space , women outnumber men by nearly three to one , with a total of 440,000 women and 146,000 men registered and employed in Australia ’ s health workforce .
But still too few women rise to the upper management echelons in these organisations .
A study by US consultancy firm McKinsey found that in the US for entry level healthcare positions women outnumber men by a 66 per cent to 34 per cent split . By the time it gets to senior management level men make up 51 per cent of the positions , and by executive level men make up 70 per cent of positions .
In Australia , women only hold 14.6 per cent of chair positions and 28.1 per cent of directorships , and represent 18.3 per cent of CEOs and 32.5 per cent of key management personnel .
Aged Care Insite has decided to profile six women who have firmly established themselves in the aged care industry .
From educators to chief executives , their stories uncover how these women have navigated the traditional barriers that affect the advancement of women to leadership .
TANVI DALAL , GENERAL MANAGER , SIGNATURE CARE When Dr Tanvi Dalal moved to Australia to pursue her career , job recruiters would turn her down based on where she came from .
Eight years later the general manager for Signature Care , one of the nation ’ s largest providers , has become a figure on the rise in the aged care industry .
“ The passion that the young people have in aged care now , it ’ s amazing ,” said the 35-year-old , who recently became a Leading Age Care Services ( LASA ) NextGen ambassador .
“ I ’ d love to help create a culture that is really positive for millennials , and I want to provide all of the learning opportunities for them to go above and beyond to support aged care staff .”
Before relocating to Australia , Tanvi had studied and practised dentistry in India . After two years in the clinic waiting for patients and taking appointments , she realised that something was missing .
“ I ’ m a bit of an extrovert , and I wanted to do something more collaborative with people ,” she said .
In 2011 , a past acquaintance approached Tanvi with the idea to start up a home care business . The aged care sector in India was virtually non-existent back then .
Opportunities for jobs were limited , there was no government support or regulation , and access to services was reserved only for the wealthy or people who were destitute .
Eager to fill the gaps in the industry , Tanvi quit her job and went on to become Epoch ’ s head of HR and recruitment .
“ I was one of the first employees and we built the whole organisation from a plan on paper ,” she said .
“ We established first a home care business then assisted living , and we were pretty much the pioneers of aged care by then in India .”
After four years working with Epoch , Tanvi relocated to Australia to pursue new opportunities . The Melbourne job market was tough , and although she had years of entrepreneurial experience , she struggled to land a job for months .
“ I think more than being a woman , and young , the barrier was that I was from India , which was very unfortunate ,” said Tanvi .
“ I was considered an outsider who didn ’ t have the local experience , and was not given the opportunity to prove myself .”
Tanvi persevered until she managed to land a job as an aged care consultant , and eventually moved into her breakout role at Mirus Australia in Sydney .
Exposed to dozens of the nation ’ s largest providers , Tanvi began to learn the ins and outs of the industry and slowly worked her way up to a senior position .
Networking , asking others for advice , and trusting her abilities and ideas , she says , is what gave her the push to move forward .
“ One thing I ’ ve learned coming from a country , and especially where there ’ s a massive gender discrepancy that I ’ ve faced almost all of my life , is how to build up my confidence ,” she said .
“ If I do feel like I am lacking any skills , I am not at all hesitant in approaching someone and asking to learn more or to be mentored .
12 agedcareinsite . com . au