The ripple effect: why promoting female leadership in global health matters

Abstract

Leadership positions in global health are greatly skewed toward men; the imbalance is more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The under-representation of women in leadership is a threat to gender equality, and also impacts the improvement of women's health outcomes globally. In this perspectives piece, we assert that the promotion and retention of women in global health leadership has a ripple effect that can achieve improvement in global health outcomes. We present pragmatic, actionable solutions to promote and retain female global health leaders in this field.