Many crises, one call to action: advancing gender equality in health in response to polycrises

• Published in: The Lancet (British edition) Vol. 404; no. 10454; pp. 731 - 733
• Main Authors: Khosla, Rajat, Sen, Gita, Ghebreyesus, Tedros Adhanom, Byanyima, Winnie, Bahous, Sima, Diniz, Debora, Hossain, Sara, Kanem, Natalia, Karlsson, Ulrika, Laski, Laura, Mired, Dina, Russell, Catherine, Mofokeng, Tlaleng, Steiner, Achim, Türk, Volker, Riha, Johanna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 24.08.2024; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Advisors; Aggression; Bodily integrity; Childbirth & labor; Civil society; Collective action; Contraception; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Decision making; Economic forecasting; Equal rights; Equality; Ethnicity; Feminism; Gender; Gender equity; Girls; Global health; Health disparities; Health services; Human rights; International finance; Investments; Maternal mortality; Older people; Pandemics; Political movements; Poverty; Public health; Reproductive health; Sexuality; Violence; Women; Womens health; Womens rights; Bangladesh
• ISSN: 0140-6736; 1474-547X; 1474-547X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01450-8

Globally, women make up the majority of extreme poor among people aged 15 years and older, with the gender poverty gap forecast to widen by 2030.2 Disproportionate job losses and limited access to financial resources in a climate of economic insecurity have pushed women into precarious work environments, jeopardising their health, integrity, and safety.3 The responsibilities of caregiving also intensifies during polycrises, with women and girls taking on greater responsibilities, including childcare, care of ill or dependent persons, and older persons care, and frequently neglecting their own health needs.4,5 Clinic closures, resource shortages, and displacement due to crises disproportionately affect women's access to health services, such as reproductive health care, prenatal care, and safe childbirth.6 Even some high-income nations are among the 19 countries that had a higher maternal mortality ratio in 2020 compared with 1990. Women, who make up almost 70% of the global health workforce and 90% of nurses and midwives, are the front line of the health system; they deliver vital health services during crises and are often exposed to violence, especially in places affected by conflict.8,9 Yet women in the health workforce are usually inadequately paid, insufficiently valued, and under-represented in leadership and decision-making positions.10 Alongside polycrises, there have been unprecedented attacks on the bodily autonomy, choices, and human rights of women and girls.7 Globally organised movements have mobilised against laws related to access to safe abortion and contraception, LGBTQI+ rights, and comprehensive sexuality education.7 This is visible in different forms, ranging from increasing levels of violence, hate speech, and misinformation campaigns to difficulties accessing funding for health and human rights organisations and the introduction of regressive laws or failure to eliminate discriminatory laws and policies.11 In this climate of competing priorities and recurrent crises, governments, UN agencies, donors, and civil society groups collectively hold immense power to ensure action is taken to advance and prioritise women's rights, gender equality, and human rights, including the right to health. [...]financial responses at global, regional, and national levels need to be formulated so that they support gender equality and women's rights.