For women working in global health — and in development more broadly — accessing leadership positions and the C-suite has long been an uphill struggle. A recent report from Women in Global Health highlights just how large and far-reaching the disparities are for women leaders in the health field.
The State of Women and Leadership in Health report reveals that while women hold around 70% of health worker jobs globally, they only account for 25% of senior leadership roles in the sector.
And not all groups of women are equally represented among the few that have managed to shatter the glass ceiling, with women from low- and middle-income countries particularly missing in global health leadership. According to data from 50/50 Global Health, only 5% of leadership roles in health are held by women from LMICs.