Gender equality: flying blind in a time of crisis – Launching the Global Health 50/50 2021 report 

Save the date – the Global Health 50/50 2021 Report is nearly here, launching on March 8th, 2021. Join us for a series of online events centred around the most pressing findings of the 2021 Report. 

Now in its fourth year, the Report looks across 201 organisations active in global health and maintains its focus on two interlinked dimensions of inequality; inequality of opportunity in career pathways inside organisations and inequality in who benefits from the global health system. 

Over the past year, the world has faced an unprecedented crisis, placing the global health sector front and centre of the COVID-19 response and tasked with pushing for equitable responses, advising national governments and informing the public, all whilst seeking to maintain ongoing commitments to equitable workplaces and programmes. 

COVID-19 has, in some ways, acted as a pressure test of the system – showcasing what principles and agendas, in a period of crisis, are maintained in responses across the sector. The 2021 Report finds certain areas notable progress despite the odds, as well as the areas where rhetoric has been used as a substitute for action.

Over two events, we will explore the implications of health-related COVID-19 responses which have largely ignored gender, what the past year can tell us about efforts to redistribute power and privilege in the global health workforce, and question what it will take to see gender-transformative change across the sector in the current global landscape. 

The events will bring together a diverse range of perspectives, from different parts of the system, to discuss barriers to progress, why some have managed to spearhead change, and what others need to be able to do so. All events are free and open to all, but registration is required. Don’t miss out – sign up and save the dates today. 

Flying gender blind in a year of crisis – what does it mean for health? 

11th March 2021, 14:00 -15:00 GMT. 

A recording of this event can be found here.

COVID-19 is not gender-neutral. From the risk of infection to the risk of death, the unequal distribution of the pandemic across communities and societies sharply exposes underlying social and structural drivers of ill-health and their gendered nature. 

So what explains the absence of gender in health-related COVID-19 responses? What are the consequences of this approach, and where do we go next as we look ahead to vaccinations, recovery plans and the future of global health? 

In this, the first of three online launch events for the Global Health 50/50 2021 Report, we will explore why so few global health organisations are taking gender seriously in their COVID-19 responses, the dangers of ignoring inequalities and how to ensure that a focus on gender and other inequalities becomes central to all programmatic work across the sector, even in a time of crisis.

Redistributing power and privilege – learning from a year of missed chances and moments of progress 

25th March 2021, 14:00 -15:00 GMT. 

In 2020, demands for social justice, inclusion and the decolonisation of global health amplified. And yet despite the flurry of commitments to anti-racism, gender equality and decolonisation, a year on from Power, Privilege and Priorities, we see an increasing number of organisations committing to these values, but little substantive progress in equitable outcomes. 

Advancing gender equality, diversity and inclusion within global health institutions will not simply be fixed with time – it will require institutional determination, progressive policies and measures, sustained demands, and accountability.Yet while there are glimmers of hopeful progress, we see a slow pace when it comes to implementing the progressive policies needed to shift the dial. 

Why is progress stagnating, despite commitments and pledges, and what is needed to encourage more drastic measures? What can we learn from individuals and organisations who have been successful in spearheading sustainable change, despite a shifting global landscape that threatens to reverse hard-won gains? Join the second in the launch series for a discussion on the relationship between decolonisation and radical workplace reform in global health. 

Find out more about the Global Health 50/50 2021 Report and accompanying Gender and Health Index here.