PALLIATIVE MEDICINE AND HOSPICE CARE PUBLISHERS ISSN 2377-8393 Open Journal Empowering Women Nurses Can Make a Diference * Corresponding author Michael Silbermann, DMD, PhD Executive Director, Middle East Cancer Consortium, 45 Yotam Street, Haifa 34675, Israel; E-mail: cancer@mecc-research.com Article information Received: March 5 th , 2018; Accepted: March 6 th , 2018; Published: March 6 th , 2018 Cite this article Ghrayeb IK, Silbermann M. Empowering women nurses can make a difference. Palliat Med Hosp Care Open J. 2018; 4(1): e1-e2. doi: 10.17140/PMHCOJ-4-e006 Editorial Editorial | Volume 4 | Number 1| e1 Copyright 2018 by Silbermann M. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. cc Ibtisam K. Ghrayeb, RN, BSN, PGD 1 ; Michael Silbermann, DMD, PhD 2* 1 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Makassad Hospital, Bethlehem, Palestine 2 Middle East Cancer Consortium, Haifa, Israel ABSTRACT Women play an important role in the advancement of science, medicine, and health. The issue of gender is still a debatable item in many cultures and societies. However, despite remarkable advances in gender equality, there are still disturbing barriers that need to be broken down in order to reach the desired goal. The empowerment of female nurses has created status changes and improvements in cancer care. Whereas marked achievements have been noted in developed countries, much work is still needed in developing countries, where culture and tradition hinder this process. Keywords Cancer care; Women nurses; Empowerment. W omen are integral to health promotion and academic excel- lence. To date, women have been faced with ongoing chal- lenges in achieving their goals clinically and scientifcally. In order to try to overcome some of such challenges, dedicated strategies are needed to support the advancement of women socially, profes- sionally and health wise. Such an approach needs local, regional and global advocacy to support women in their efforts to be fully integrated into modern medical and scientifc societies. 1 A survey in Australia checked the health promotion role of doctors in a women’s and community health centers and in private practices. It was found that doctors within women’s and community health centers are more likely to report involvement in group health promotion activity and broader community develop- ment initiatives. 2 The Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC), as a re- gional organization of individuals, clinical and academic institu- tions had a unique opportunity to promote the role of gender in health. We have found that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. Moreover, we feel that no policy is more important in reducing confict or in achiev- ing reconciliation. A study in Nepal concluded that the empower- ment of female community health volunteers will bring sustainable change in women’s performance and will consequently produce notable improvement in the health of women and children, in par- ticular, and in the community, in general. 3 It is clear that at least in developing countries, there are social and cultural barriers that hinder the empowerment of women. Women’s low status, depri- vation of education and lack of control over their own lives and bodies have a negative impact on their professional development be it in medicine or science. A study in Pakistan indicated that to improve women’s professional career, a concerted action is needed by the family, community, healthcare systems and the state in or- der to achieve gender equality and the greater empowerment of women. 4 Further, domestic violence and poverty were identifed as additional stress factors that hinder the empowerment of women in India. 5 A more recent study in Iran indicated the importance of women’s empowerment through foraging their health information seeking rights and comprehensive health information adherence. 6 It is our strong belief that advocating for women will undoubtedly contribute to the improvement of both women’s own health and their active involvement in the promotion of health (clinically and scientifcally) worldwide. For nurses to advance in their profession, one should be able to lead the nursing profession in a positive light without re- strictions related to gender. Female nurses are often not empow- ered to break the traditional culture of silence and more women than men work part-time. 7