The Empowerment of Women Leadership in Global Health

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Daniela Barra and Ms. Inês Arnaud Dias, medical students at the University of Lisbon, in Portugal. They are affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writers and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Someone tells you that there is only a 31% chance of having your dream job. What if we cut it to 25%? Now, it became only 3,7%, encouraging right? That’s the reality of a woman who wants to lead in global health. In 2017, 31% of ministers of health were women but when we look to Africa, that number reduced to 25%. Of the 27 companies comprising the health sector of the global Fortune 500, only one was led by a woman, whereas, in 2020, they only represented 10% of the World Health Organization executive board members.^[1,2]

Who is defending women? Who should the girls around the world look up to?  Bringing women to the table is the key to obtaining inclusive laws, policies, and funding, that grant a gender-responsive agenda and an approach to the many interconnected social determinants of health in vulnerable and marginalized populations worldwide.^[2]

The empowerment of women and girls is the 5th goal of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, yet the pandemic has had a devastating effect on that work. Since 2020, women health workers have suffered twice the COVID-19 infections than their male counterparts, while representing 27% of the task force’s positions, led only 18% of them and 11% had no women at all. Women also represent 54% of job losses during the pandemic.^[2] Women’s leadership in health is more than equity—it is the missing link that will help us more effectively address crises such as COVID-19 and better health outcomes.^[3]

Given these considerations, one might expect that the necessary steps have already been taken to untangle this issue. However, a recent UN report indicates that it will require 140 years to achieve parity in leadership roles.^[4] Currently, despite the commitment of numerous organizations thriving to promote women’s involvement in global health leadership, along with the proposals from scholars advocating various strategies for the same advancement, – such as utilizing gender analysis data and Gender-Transformative Leadership approaches, or implementing the policy of “Gender Mainstreaming” –, the majority lack an integrated perspective.^{[2, 3, 5, 6]}

If women’s health is a goal, then it’s imperative to elevate female leaders. Hence, looking ahead, it’s essential to adopt strategies that defy existing norms and promote a more inclusive perspective.^{[3, 7]} Some actions that can mark critical strides toward achieving this goal are ensuring that workers in global health of all genders are introduced to gender-responsive training; cultivating women-friendly environments, by addressing gender-specific challenges, and equipping them with the tools to lead effectively, as well as overcoming biases of the ‘default man’; recruiting female trainees from low to middle-income countries and fostering mentorship with women from higher income countries; and mobilizing men to step up as allies.^{[3, 4, 7, 8]}

Lastly, it’s crucial to emphasize that this is not solely a concern for women; it’s a collective endeavor that involves the entire community, and so the deconstruction of these ideals by all individuals is needed to liberate and empower women as leaders, shaping the future of global health. 

References:

• [1] Moyer CA, Abedini NC, Youngblood J, Talib Z, Jayaraman T, Manzoor M, Larson HJ, Garcia PJ, Binagwaho A, Burke KS, Barry M. Advancing Women Leaders in Global Health: Getting to Solutions. Ann Glob Health. 2018 Nov 5;84(4):743-752. doi: 10.9204/aogh.2384. PMID: 30779525; PMCID: PMC6748298.
• [2] Smith SG, Sinkford JC. Gender equality in the 21st century: Overcoming barriers to women’s leadership in global health. J Dent Educ. 2022; 86: 1144–1173. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13059
• [3] Batson A, Gupta GR, Barry M. More Women Must Lead in Global Health: A Focus on Strategies to Empower Women Leaders and Advance Gender Equality. Ann Glob Health. 2021 Jul 12;87(1):67. doi: 10.5334/aogh.3213. PMID: 34307070; PMCID: PMC8284502.
• [4] The state of women and leadership in global health – Women in global health. (2023, April 11). Women in Global Health. https://womeningh.org/sheshapes/
• [5] Yount, K. M., Miedema, S., Krause, K., Clark, C. J., Chen, J. S., & Del Rı́O, C. (2018). GROW: a model for mentorship to advance women’s leadership in global health. Global Health, Epidemiology and Genomics, 3. https://doi.org/10.1017/gheg.2018.5
• [6] Yount, K. M. (2024). Empowering Diverse Graduate-Student Women for Leadership in Global Health (EMERGE): Pilot Evaluation findings. Medical Research Archives, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i1.4931
• [7] Downs, J. A., Mathad, J. S., Reif, L. K., McNairy, M. L., Celum, C., Boutin‐Foster, C., Deschamps, M. M., Gupta, A., Hokororo, A., Katz, I. T., Konopasek, L., Nelson, R., Riviere, C., Glimcher, L. H., & Fitzgerald, D. W. (2016). The ripple effect: why promoting female leadership in global health matters. Public Health Action, 6(4), 210–211. https://doi.org/10.5588/pha.16.0072
• [8] Dhatt R, Theobald S, Buzuzi S, et al. The role of women’s leadership and gender equity in leadership and health system strengthening. Global Health, Epidemiology and Genomics. 2017;2:e8. doi:10.1017/gheg.2016.22

About the authors

Ms. Daniela Barra and Ms. Inês Arnaud Dias, medical students at the University of Lisbon, in Portugal. Members of their Local Committees, with distinct areas of interest, on one hand, Daniela has been working more closely on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, as well as Capacity Building, whereas Inês has been participating more actively in the fields of Culture and Human Rights & Peace. They are affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting.