Gender Equity in the Health Care Sector

Join us in our Gender Equal Health & Care Workforce Initiative

The Government of France, the World Health Organization and Women in Global Health are partnering in 2021- the International Year of Health and Care Workers- on the Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative (GEHCWI). This Initiative aims to increase visibility, dialogue, and commitment to action on gender equity in the health and care workforce alongside the UN Women Generation Equality Campaign to accelerate gender equality and mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. ​

Gender equity in the health and care sector builds a strong foundation for health systems, universal health coverage (UHC) and global health security. The Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative (GEHCWI) will convene the international community to implement existing global commitments and agree on practical steps to achieve gender equity in the health and care workforce.​

A MESSAGE FROM WOMEN IN GLOBAL HEALTH

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to global institutions – not just health systems, but to our collective social, economic and political systems worldwide.

Put simply: Coronavirus will define our time and fundamentally reshape our world.

The current pandemic shines a harsh light on inequality and shows that ours is an interconnected global society. Viruses don’t respect national borders, and the rapid spread of COVID-19 is due in large part to the ways power and privilege play out in the provision of healthcare worldwide. Billions of people lack Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – some without access to any care at all – and their vulnerability leaves us all vulnerable.

Many in the extended Women in Global Health community are health workers fighting on the frontlines of this pandemic. Our chapters are sharing evidence, materials and learning throughout our robust network of passionate women committed to equitable and accessible health for all. As always, we are committed to supporting this knowledge-sharing and community- building and will continue to facilitate this with our network and partners.

But the current state of global health requires even more decisive action. That’s why we’re doubling down on our Operation 50/50 campaign, which demands equal representation for women in global health leadership because diverse perspectives strengthen health systems and save lives – and we can’t win the fight against this (and other) health challenges by using only half of our global talent pool. The voices of women, especially women from the Global South, must be heard.

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