FAIR SHARE FOR HEALTH AND CARE REPORT BY WHO

In March 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new report called the Fair Share for Health and Care report, which talks about the gender gap in global healthcare.

Key Highlights

1. Gender Disparities in Health and Care Workforce

1. Around 67% of the global health and care workforce are women, and they do about 76% of all unpaid care work.
2. This shows big differences between men and women in both paid and unpaid care work.
3. Women in low- or middle-income countries could have $9 trillion more if they got paid the same as men and had the same job opportunities.

2. Not Adequately (enough) Represented on Decision-Making

1. Women aren't represented enough in decision-making roles. They're mostly in lower-status jobs like nursing and midwifery (the branch of medicine dealing with childbirth and care of the mother).
2. But they're not seen as much in leadership roles. Most medical specialties are still mostly men.
3. In 35 countries, women made up 25% to 60% of doctors but 30% to 100% of nursing staff.

3. Underinvestment in Health Systems:

1. Because health and care work don't get enough investment, there's a problem. Women do a lot of unpaid care work, which stops them from joining paid jobs.
2. This makes it hard for them to be financially independent and makes gender equality difficult.

4. Devaluation of Caregiving:

1. Caregiving is mainly done by women and is often not valued enough.
2. This results in lower pay, bad working conditions, reduced productivity, and negative economic effects.

5. Implications of Gender Pay Gaps:

1. Gender pays gaps hinder women's ability to invest in their families and communities, where they usually reinvest.
2. Globally, women direct around 90% of their earnings to their families' well-being, while men only contribute 30-40%.

6. Higher Levels of Violence:

1. Women in healthcare face more gender-based violence.
2. Roughly a quarter of workplace violence worldwide occurs in healthcare.
3. About half of healthcare employees report experiencing violence at work.

7. Indian Scenario

1. In India, women spend about 73% of their daily working time on unpaid work, compared to men's 11%.
2. During Covid-19, nearly 4.5 million in the UK did unpaid work, with 59% being women.

8. Global Crisis of Care

1. A lack of investment in health and care work over many years leads to a global care crisis.
2. Slow progress towards Universal Health Coverage leaves many without essential health services, burdening women with unpaid care work.

9. Key Recommendations:

1. Improve working conditions for all health and care workers, particularly those in predominantly female roles.
2. Ensure gender equity in the paid workforce.
3. Enhance work conditions, wages, and ensure equal pay for equal work in health and care.
4. Address the gender gap in caregiving, support quality care, and protect caregivers' rights and well-being.
5. Ensure that national statistics accurately capture, measure, and value all health and care work.
6. Invest in strong public health systems.

10. Government Initiatives to Address Gender Disparity

1. Economic Participation and Health and Survival:

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Safeguards, educates, and supports the girl child.
• Mahila Shakti Kendra: Aims to empower rural women through skill development and job opportunities.
• Mahila Police Volunteers: Links police with communities to assist women in distress.
• Rashtriya Mahila Kosh: Provides micro-credit to poor women for livelihood activities.
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna: Empowers girls economically by opening bank accounts for them.

2. Female Entrepreneurship:

• Initiatives like Stand-Up India and Mahila e-Haat promote women entrepreneurs through online platforms.
• Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESSDP) supports female entrepreneurship.

3. Education:

• Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya: Schools in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs).

4. Political Representation:

• Reserves 33% of seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions for women.

5. Capacity Building:

• Empowers elected women representatives for effective participation in governance processes.

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