Abstract
Gender equality is considered paramount to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals and incorporated into global health programming and delivery, but there is great gender disparity within global health leadership and an absence of women at the highest levels of decision making. This perspective piece outlines the current gaps and challenges, highlighting the lack of data and unanswered questions regarding possible solutions, as well as the activity of Women in Global Health and efforts to directly address the inequity and lack of female leaders. We conclude with an agenda and tangible next steps of action for promoting women's leadership in health as a means to promote the global goals of achieving gender equality and catalyzing change.
Highlights
Women comprise over 75% of the global health workforce in some countries and serve a crucial role in providing health to communities locally and globally [1]
Despite women holding the majority of lower to middle level positions, they are rarely seen at leadership and decision-making levels. This is striking, as the global health community advocates for greater health equity and support of women’s health, needs and rights. This commitment is enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which incorporate the attainment of gender equality, health and well-being for all people and the planet is in their contemporary vision of development including the target ‘Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life’ [2]
There is strong evidence that women’s increased economic and political participation leads to a more developed and healthier world; the global health community has not done enough to ensure that the equality we strive to reflect in the planning and delivery of services is seen in the programmatic, policy and leadership levels [9]
Summary
Women comprise over 75% of the global health workforce in some countries and serve a crucial role in providing health to communities locally and globally [1]. Despite women holding the majority of lower to middle level positions, they are rarely seen at leadership and decision-making levels This is striking, as the global health community advocates for greater health equity and support of women’s health, needs and rights. WGH works with other global health organizations and supporters to encourage stakeholders from governments, civil society, foundations, academia and professional associations and the private-sector to achieve gender equality in global health leadership and support gender mainstreaming. WLGHI is multi-year project focused on bringing awareness to the gender disparity in global health leadership, strengthen women’s leadership roles and organizational capacity, and developing a broad network of people and organizations working together to create gender equality in leadership within the global health arena. WGH has begun to develop tools, as well as develop resources of well-established tools in partnership with key stakeholders, to better facilitate the translation of these commitments to action
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