Want stronger and more resilient health systems? Let women lead. Women are the majority of the health workforce but an invisible minority of health leaders. Changing that will make healthcare better and more equitable for everyone.
Dr. Magda Robalo, M.D.
Executive Director of Women in Global Health
I have spent over three decades in health leadership, leading malaria and endemic disease control with Plan International, coordinating the COVID-19 response and strengthening health systems with the World Health Organization (WHO) across Africa, and serving as Minister of Health in Guinea-Bissau. From rural communities to the halls of global institutions, one truth remains constant: Women are the backbone of our health systems. I have also seen firsthand how women are excluded from the decisions that shape healthcare for us all.
Globally, women make up nearly 70% of the health workforce, yet they hold only about one-quarter of health leadership roles. In the United States, women account for more than three-quarters of its health workforce but are a small minority of hospital CEOs and health system executives. Women face a 15–24% gender pay gap in the health sector. Despite comprising half the world’s population, only 4% of research and development spending targets female-specific conditions, and women’s health receives just around 2% of total healthcare venture capital funding.
Making an investment
Evidence shows that when women lead, they are more likely to prioritize primary care, maternal and newborn health, and community-based services, the foundations of a resilient system, while also fostering safer workplaces, investing in staff well-being, and building cultures that retain talent.
That matters now more than ever. Across the U.S. and globally, women are leaving health jobs in record numbers, deepening workforce shortages from Boston to Bissau in what has become known as the “Great Resignation.” Investing in women’s leadership is not just about representation, it strengthens the workforce health systems depend on.
Leadership is not inherited — it is built. Targeted investment in women’s leadership transforms health institutions and strengthens the quality of care. Health systems must be redesigned so that women are recruited into leadership, fairly promoted throughout their careers, and protected in their workplaces.
Throughout my own career, mentors opened doors for me, and I am committed to doing the same for the next generation. When women have access to leadership training, when they have mentors who believe in their potential, and equal access to leadership roles, they shape health systems, not just support them.
Health systems encompassing all sectors
So what does this all mean? We must guarantee paid family and medical leave so no woman is forced to choose between caregiving and a career in health. We must ensure there is zero tolerance for harassment and violence in the workplace. And we must build leadership cultures that value women’s expertise and create space for them to rise.
We know what works. In Massachusetts, paid-leave policies have reduced burnout and increased retention among women health workers. In Rwanda, expanding women’s leadership, from hospital directors to national health insurance managers, has strengthened service delivery and built community trust.
If we want health systems that can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, the path forward is clear: Invest in women. Because when women lead, care is better, communities thrive, nations prosper, economies grow, and all of us are healthier and safer.
