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COVID-19: Is it time for male leaders to ‘lean out’?

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December 11, 2020

COVID-19: Is it time for male leaders to ‘lean out’?

Source: Medical News Today

Leaving women out of COVID-19 decision-making is not just bad for women — it’s bad for everyone. Research shows that achieving gender parity correlates with better outcomes in the pandemic overall, yet a new analysis found that only 3.5% of COVID-19 decision-making bodies have an equitable number of men and women. What does this mean for healthcare? We spoke to a panel of experts to find out.

Past outbreaks of diseases such as Zika and Ebola have taught us the same lesson time and time again: In situations of crisis, women’s rights and needs are pushed aside because they are seen as a bonus or privilege rather than a necessity.

The trajectory is always the same — women make up the vast majority of care workers and are also overwhelmed with informal care duties, yet their contribution to decision-making is lacking. According to recent research, only 3.5% of 115 COVID-19 decision-making groups across 87 countries contained an equitable number of men and women. 

Click here to read the full article published by Medical News Today on 4 December 2020.

Click here to listen to the discussion with the panel of experts.

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Leaving women out of COVID-19 decision-making is not just bad for women — it’s bad for everyone. Research shows that achieving gender parity correlates with better outcomes in the pandemic overall, yet a new analysis found that only 3.5% of COVID-19 decision-making bodies have an equitable number of men and women. What does this mean for healthcare? We spoke to a panel of experts to find out.

Past outbreaks of diseases such as Zika and Ebola have taught us the same lesson time and time again: In situations of crisis, women’s rights and needs are pushed aside because they are seen as a bonus or privilege rather than a necessity.

The trajectory is always the same — women make up the vast majority of care workers and are also overwhelmed with informal care duties, yet their contribution to decision-making is lacking. According to recent research, only 3.5% of 115 COVID-19 decision-making groups across 87 countries contained an equitable number of men and women. 

Click here to read the full article published by Medical News Today on 4 December 2020.

Click here to listen to the discussion with the panel of experts.

Resource type
Focus areas