Skip to content

Events

IGWG 2023 | Breaking Barriers: Addressing Gender Inequities Facing Global Health Workers

The Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG) invites you to its 2023 Annual Plenary, which will explore how gender transformative programs can better address workplace inequities affecting health workers, and improve health and gender outcomes.

The virtual event will begin with a panel discussion led by experts and representatives of dynamic gender transformative programs addressing gender inequity in the health workforce.

WHY:

  • Learn about the gender inequity barriers health workers are facing in the workplace, including sexual harassment, discrimination, pay gaps, and inadequate workplace policies.
  • Understand opportunities for addressing gender barriers to promote a more equitable and inclusive workplace for health workers.
  • Explore promising practices and lessons learned from innovative program interventions addressing gender barriers in workplaces throughout the health system.

Panelists will include:

  • Dr. Amina Aminu Dorayi, Country Director, Pathfinder Nigeria
  • Seblewongel Fekadu, Gender Advisor, Jhpiego Ethiopia
  • Dr. Michelle McIsaac, Economist / Lead Gender Equity and Human Rights, Health Workforce Department, World Health Organization
  • Catherine Menganyi, Chapter Lead, Women in Global Health Kenya
  • Dr. Shabnum Sarfraz (Moderator), Deputy Executive Director, Women in Global Health

Following the panel discussion, participants will join breakout rooms and share their personal experiences addressing health workplace inequities, including challenges encountered in their work and advocacy efforts.

Questions or feedback? Please contact the IGWG team at igwg@prb.org.

More about the IGWG 2023 Plenary

Gender inequities affect health workers in many ways. Gender inequities are common in health care system practices related to recruitment, retention, promotion pathways, leadership roles, earnings, and even access to full-time employment. Women represent about 70% of the health workforce but earn on average 28% less than men. Gender discrimination also affects health system leadership, governance, and occupational segregation. Women remain least represented in decision-making roles, including as physicians, administrators, and managers. Sexual and gender-based harassment, objectification, mistreatment, and violence are commonly reported by health workers around the world. Additionally, few policies and practices recognize and support the informal care that health workers, predominantly women, are expected to provide at home.

Despite evidence that gender discrimination and inequities in the health workplace are systemic, programmatic attention and funding to address these inequities are limited. However, evidence from other sectors indicates that addressing these inequities could lead to a more sustainable health system that can better address gender inequalities as a social determinant of health, and, ultimately, improve health outcomes for all.

The 2023 Plenary will highlight research that examines gender inequities faced by health workers and showcase promising practices and lessons learned from innovative programs working to address gender barriers in the health system workplace. The 2023 IGWG Plenary aims to better equip IGWG members to examine gender inequity in their own organizations and to promote more equitable and inclusive workplaces—both within and outside the health system.

More Stories

Workshop on preventing cervical cancer in Kano State, Nigeria.

Inside Kano State’s Bold Effort to Prevent Cervical Cancer

“This topic touches me deeply, as I lost my wife to cervical cancer. That painful experience has shown me how…

Read More
Community Health Worker counsels maternal health client.

Celebrating High-Impact Maternal Health Innovations

On this International Day of Action for Women’s Health, let’s listen to women and invest in health care that they…

Read More
Religious leaders in Boboye, Niger.

When a Religious Leader Becomes an Ambassador for Family Planning

“A few years ago, in the space of just 25 days, I lost two children; it’s something that I will…

Read More

10 actions pour promouvoir l’inclusion linguistique dans le secteur DSSR / 10 Actions for Advancing Language Inclusivity in SRHR

Récap, réflexions et ressources de « Qui n’a pas la parole ? Briser les barrières linguistiques dans le domaine des…

Read More
Supervision visit with community health extension worker at New Era Hospital in Kaduna state. Photo by: Bayo Ewuola

Task-sharing: A High-impact Solution for Improving Health Equity in an era of Dwindling Foreign Assistance

A fresh look at how task-sharing can be optimized in Nigeria By Amina Dorayi, Country Director, and Fanna Mairami, Senior…

Read More

Pathfinder Annual Report 2024

Amplifying Local Partnerships for a Sustainable Future Almost 70 years ago, Pathfinder started as a family planning organization—and we have…

Read More

Mobilizing Civil Society to Save Women’s Lives

By Amina Dorayi, Country Director, Pathfinder International Nigeria In Nigeria’s Kano state, maternal mortality rates are higher than the national…

Read More

International Women’s Day: In Their Words

Across Pathfinder, we are opening doors for women and girls to forge their own path ahead, live the lives they…

Read More

A wedding invitation you can’t accept: Pathfinder’s campaign against child marriage in Pakistan

By Ali Asghar, Senior Communication Manager, SA-MENA and Sarah Peck, Development Communications Advisor “Please join us in this grand celebration…

Read More

Reaching Young People through Edutainment: Reflection from the GAMIVAL Experience!

As the world grapples with the challenges of engaging young people in critical conversations about their health and wellbeing, innovative…

Read More
Pathfinder Placeholder

Pathways December 2024: Women Lead on Climate and Health

The urgency of our mission is underscored by stark realities. In 2022 alone, over 110 million people in Africa were…

Read More

Contributing to Global Health Security and Protecting Women’s Health

By: Madiha Latif As the world looks to the end of 2024—which has seen COVID-19 and destructive weather become part…

Read More