Our Advocacy
Transforming Power in Global Health
Women’s leadership is not symbolic. It is foundational to equitable, accountable, and resilient health systems.
Women in Global Health advances structural reform across governance, financing, workforce policy, and innovation to secure women’s decision-making power in shaping health systems.
The Structural Challenge
Women comprise 70% of the global health workforce yet hold only 25% of senior leadership roles. Care work remains undervalued. Health financing often overlooks gender inequities. Climate shocks and digital transformation risk widening disparities. Accountability systems remain fragmented.
Without shifting power, progress toward gender equity remains partial and reversible.
Our Policy Approach
Women in Global Health advances gender equity by transforming:
Who leads
Who decides
How health systems are governed and financed
We adopt a feminist policy advocacy approach that is:
Rights-based
grounded in CEDAW and the 2030 Agenda
Transformative
restructuring unequal power dynamics while strengthening equitable service delivery
Intersectional
addressing how gender intersects with race, class, disability, migration status, and other exclusions
Voice-centered
elevating lived experience and frontline expertise
Alliance-building
engaging institutions and leaders as partners in accountability
How Change Happens
When women have:
Agency and leadership power
Equitable access to resources and opportunity
Gender-responsive laws, financing, and governance
Health systems become inclusive, accountable, and effective.
How We Influence Change
Individual Level
Strengthening leadership, negotiation, and policy advocacy capacity.
Institutional Level
Reforming governance structures, budgeting processes, workforce systems, and digital infrastructure.
National Level
Aligning laws, policies, and financing frameworks with global gender equality and health commitments.
Global Level
Shaping multilateral norms, political declarations, and financing architecture.
Our Five Policy & Advocacy Priorities (2026–2030)
1. Promote Equal Representation in Health Leadership
Women are the majority of the health workforce but remain underrepresented in leadership. We advocate for gender parity across ministries, multilateral institutions, research bodies, and financing mechanisms to strengthen legitimacy and institutional performance.
2. Secure a New Social Contract for Women Health Workers
Health systems rely on women’s labor without guaranteeing fair pay, safe conditions, or career advancement. We advance workforce justice, pay equity, and protection from violence.
3. Bridge the Climate–Health–Gender Nexus
Climate change is a health crisis with gendered impacts. We integrate gender into climate-health policy, financing, and resilience governance.
4. Advance Gender-Equitable Universal Health Coverage
UHC cannot be achieved without addressing gender inequities in access, financing, research, and innovation. We embed gender across service coverage and digital transformation.
5. Strengthen Gender-Equitable Health Financing and Governance
Financing systems shape who benefits and who decides. We advance gender-responsive budgeting, transparency, and women’s participation in governance.