Addressing the gender gap in global health leadership

In recognition of International Women’s Day 2016, GHEG is inviting submissions for a themed collection on Women in Global Health.

A core mission of global health is to achieve health equity for all people worldwide. Women, particularly in resource-limited settings, experience a disproportionate burden of disease and mortality due to inequities in access to basic health care, nutrition and education.(1) The imbalance in the health burden between genders is therefore a key focus, addressed by both the Millennium Development Goals and more recently, the Sustainable Development Goals.

However, despite this key goal to address gender inequities within the field of global health, women still occupy less than a quarter of global health leadership roles.(1) Ilona Kickbusch’s recent #WGH100 Twitter campaign to identify women leaders working at the forefront of global health, arose from a frustration with the lack of visibility of women in critical public spaces in the field.(2) Like other industries, the reasons for this imbalance include lack of opportunities, family commitments and lack of confidence. Whilst many institutions have attempted to address these issues, tackling the gender gap in leadership still requires a more proactive strategy.

This year’s theme for International Women’s day is Planet 50-50 by 2030: step it up for gender equality. The goal, spearheaded by UN Women, is to achieve gender equality in the next 15 years – by increasing investment in gender equality, striving for parity for women at all levels of decision-making, eliminating discriminatory legislation, and addressing social norms that perpetuate discrimination against women.(3)

The campaign for equality in leadership is important for reasons other than proportional representation. Research in several settings has shown that women in leadership positions are more likely than their male counterparts to invest in infrastructure and programmes that address women’s concerns.(1) Similarly, policies of women in leadership tend to be more responsive to the needs of women and children and recognise women’s responsibility for decision-making when it comes to the health of their families.(1, 2)

In an attempt to address and explore the issues surrounding gender and leadership in global health, GHEG will be publishing a themed collection on Women in Global Health. We invite submissions that explore, among other things, the current landscape, the potential reasons behind the current gender imbalance in global health roles, suggestions for practice and policy that can catalyse change, and descriptions of effective formal partnerships and campaigns on Women in Global Health. The deadline for this call is the 30th September 2016. To find out more visit: http://journals.cambridge.org/gheg/womenglobalhealth-cfp

References

1. Downs JA, Reif LK, Hokororo A, Fitzgerald DW. Increasing women in leadership in global health. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2014;89(8):1103-7.
2. Devi S. Twitter campaign highlights top women in global health. Lancet (London, England). 2015;385(9965):318.
3. Press release: World leaders agree: We must close the gender gap [press release]. 2015.