[Correspondence] The next global health architecture cannot exclude women

AI Summary

Women constitute nearly 70% of global healthcare providers yet hold less than 25% of senior leadership roles in health systems. The correspondence highlights the need for inclusive leadership in redesigning global health architecture for better performance.

As we navigate the redesign of global health at a moment of acute constraint, one troubling reality stands out: the women who already effectively run our health systems are chronically underfunded as leaders. Women provide nearly 70% of health care globally but hold fewer than 25% of senior leadership roles.1 Women are under-represented in decision-making discussions where health policy and budgets are decided.2 This is not an equity problem; it is a matter of whether the next system has the shared leadership it needs to perform.