Amid concerns over gender inequality in health and care professions, a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) sheds light on systemic biases and their far-reaching consequences.
The WHO’s report, “Fair share for health and care: gender and the undervaluation of health and care work,” sheds light on the pervasive gender inequalities within the health and care sectors worldwide. This comprehensive analysis delves into the detrimental impacts of gender biases on women, health systems, and health outcomes.
“This ‘Fair share’ report highlights how gender-equitable investments in health and care work would reset the value of health and care and drive fairer and more inclusive economies,” emphasized Jim Campbell, WHO Director for Health Workforce.
The break down
Women perform the vast majority of unpaid care work, like looking after children, elderly family members, and sick individuals. Additionally, they make up two-thirds of the paid health workforce. However, they are often stuck in low-paying and undervalued positions.
Women, comprising 67% of the global health and care workforce, bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid care responsibilities, estimated at 76%. Despite their indispensable roles, women often face undervaluation and substandard working conditions.
The report warns that decades of underinvestment in health and care work are contributing to a growing global crisis of care. This lack of investment is hindering progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), leaving 4.5 billion people without full access to essential health services.
The report suggests that as UHC stalls, women may be forced to take on even more unpaid care work to fill the gaps. This creates a vicious cycle: weak health systems strain under the burden of unpaid care, and overburdened caregivers struggle to deliver high-quality care.
Furthermore, the report argues that this devaluation of caregiving has severe consequences. It harms women’s well-being, weakens health systems, and negatively impacts health outcomes in general. Women overloaded with unpaid care work struggle to participate in the paid labor force and may experience poorer physical and mental health.
The report proposes a multi-pronged approach to address these gender inequalities. It calls for increased wages and improved working conditions for health and care workers, with a specific focus on women.
Additionally, the report emphasizes the importance of investing in childcare and other social programs that would enable women to participate more fully in the workforce. Finally, it highlights the need for promoting gender equality in health education and training programs.