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. 2016 Dec 21;6(4):210-211.
doi: 10.5588/pha.16.0072.

The ripple effect: why promoting female leadership in global health matters

J A Downs  1 , J S Mathad  2 , L K Reif  3 , M L McNairy  3 , C Celum  4 , C Boutin-Foster  3 , M M Deschamps  5 , A Gupta  6 , A Hokororo  7 , I T Katz  8 , L Konopasek  3 , R Nelson  9 , C Riviere  5 , L H Glimcher  3 , D W Fitzgerald  3
Affiliations

The ripple effect: why promoting female leadership in global health matters

J A Downs et al. Public Health Action. .

Abstract
in English, French, Spanish

Leadership positions in global health are greatly skewed toward men; the imbalance is more pronounced in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The under-representation of women in leadership is a threat to gender equality, and also impacts the improvement of women's health outcomes globally. In this perspectives piece, we assert that the promotion and retention of women in global health leadership has a ripple effect that can achieve improvement in global health outcomes. We present pragmatic, actionable solutions to promote and retain female global health leaders in this field.

Les positions de dirigeant dans la santé du monde sont largement orientées vers les hommes et ce déséquilibre est encore plus prononcé dans les pays à revenu faible et moyen. La sous-représentation des femmes en termes de dirigeant menace l'égalité des genres et a également un impact sur l'amélioration de l'état de santé des femmes dans le monde. Dans cette perspective, nous affirmons que la promotion et la rétention des femmes au sein du leadership de la santé dans le monde a un effet d'entraînement qui peut aboutir à une amélioration de l'état de santé dans le monde. Nous présentons des solutions pragmatiques et réalisables pour promouvoir et retenir des leaders féminins en matière de santé dans le monde.

Los puestos directivos en materia de salud mundial se asignan de manera desproporcionada a los hombres; este desequilibrio es aun más notorio en los países de ingresos bajos y medianos. La subrepresentación de las mujeres en los cargos de responsabilidad pone en peligro la equidad entre los hombres y las mujeres y tiene además repercusiones en los resultados de salud de las mujeres en el mundo. En el presente artículo de opinión, se sostiene que promover a las mujeres a las funciones directivas relacionadas con la salud mundial y facilitar su permanencia en ellas genera una reacción en cadena que puede dar lugar a mejores resultados de salud a escala mundial. Se proponen soluciones viables y prácticas encaminadas a estimular la presencia de las mujeres en los cargos de responsabilidad en materia de salud mundial y a respaldar su permanencia en esta actividad.

Keywords: academic faculty; female; global health; leadership; research.

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References

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