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Women in Global Health (WGH) is a fast-growing women-led movement demanding gender equity in global health. While women represent 70% of the workforce and about 90% of front-line health workers, they hold just a quarter of leadership positions. Now with supporters in more than 90 countries and 41 official chapters predominantly in low-income countries, Women in Global Health campaigns for equal representation for women in health leadership; equitable pay and ending unpaid work for women health workers; protection and safe and decent work; and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These are the essential foundations for strong health systems, Universal Health Coverage, and global health security.
Women in Global Health focus on four key advocacy areas. Overcoming challenges in these will have far-reaching benefits: strengthening health systems and health security, advancing women’s empowerment, and boosting national and global economic growth.
Gender equal leadership
WGH believes that women should be represented equally in decision-making roles across the global health sector because gender equality is the foundation for strong health systems and global health security.
Gender equity in the health and care workforce
Women deserve fair pay; safe and decent work free from sexual harassment and violence; family-friendly policies and an equal place in leadership. Women’s unpaid work in the health and social care sector should be recognized, valued and included in the formal labor market.
Movement building
The global team and its network of chapters drive change by mobilizing a diverse group of emerging women health leaders, by advocating existing global health leaders to commit to transforming their own institutions, and by holding these leaders accountable.
Gender responsive health systems
We focus on gender responsive health systems including for Universal Health Coverage and pandemic preparedness and response. Underinvestment in the female health workforce means health systems are often inefficient. As disease burdens change and populations age, health systems need to adapt and invest the most productive use of human resources for health, in many cases expanding the responsibilities of lower-grade medical staff and paramedics through task shifting.
Our Impact
By leveraging our women-led global movement – the fastest growing and largest of its kind – we have advanced gender equity in global health. Over the last five years, WGH has:
Grown to include 70,000 supporters in over 90 countries, with a grassroots network of 41 Chapters connecting women, their allies and their local communities in 36 countries, with the expectation to have 100 chapters by 2023
Entered into Official Relations as a Non State Actor with the WHO in 2022, sending an official delegation to the 75th World Health Assembly
Built a large online movement of more than 100,000 cross-channel supporters
Gathered women’s perspectives in over 120 events and workshops featuring more than 1,100 international speakers
Created a platform to elevate the voices of those affected by gender inequity in health, celebrating more than 120 women health leaders, including a further 50 celebrated through our own Heroines of Health awards
Engaged in policy dialogue with global health leaders and policymakers on the need to accelerate gender transformative progress in the health workforce and co-chairing the Gender Equity Hub of WHO’s Global Health Workforce Network
Spearheaded numerous successful advocacy campaigns to drive change, including a campaign highlighting the need to end #AllMalePanels in global health. As a result of our call to action for gender equality in global health, Dr Tedros Adhanom, Director-General, WHO, committed to achieve gender parity in WHO’s leadership team: a first for a UN agency
Generated commitments from 40 global health leaders to promote gender-responsive global health
Conducted research and published numerous articles and commentaries on gender equality in health in outlets such as The Lancet and British Medical Journal
Been featured on Thomson Reuters, Exemplars in Global Health, The Telegraph UK, Devex, All Africa, BMJ Global Health, Health Policy Watch, Podcasts: Contain This & Global Health Collective, Forbes, Medical News Today, BMJ Opinion, World Economic Forum, the Hill, Just Security, and a range of other outlets
Contributed to many reports outlining policy recommendations and highlighting gaps and progress, including the report Delivered by Women, Led by Men: A Gender and Equity Analysis of the Global Health and Social Workforce
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