On International Women’s Day 2026, Health Equity Cannot Exist Without Gender Equity.

The world celebrates International Women’s Day on the 8th of March every year, and yesterday was one of those days when the global community paused to recognize and reflect on the achievements, struggles, and contributions of women across every sector of society. For me, the day was not merely symbolic, but reflective. As a budding global health professional, I cannot separate my journey from the women who have shaped it, the mentors who have guided me, the colleagues whose resilience has made the work a lot easier, and the countless women working quietly in communities to sustain the fragile architecture of health systems.

From community health workers who move from house to house ensuring children receive vaccinations, to program managers coordinating life-saving interventions, to researchers generating evidence that shapes policy, women have been central to my understanding of what global health truly means. Their leadership often exists in spaces where recognition is limited but impact is immense. Observing these women has taught me that global health is not only about technical solutions or programmatic strategies, but justice, representation, and the lived realities of those who carry the greatest health burdens. This reflection naturally leads to a fundamental truth, that health equity cannot exist without gender equity.

So, Let’s Understand What Health Equity Is.

Health equity is a state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. It requires removing obstacles such as poverty, discrimination, unequal access to care, and social conditions that systematically disadvantage certain groups. However, one of the most persistent drivers of health inequities worldwide is gender inequality. Gender norms, discrimination, and unequal power dynamics shape who gets access to healthcare, who controls resources, whose health needs are prioritized, and whose voices are heard in decision-making. When gender inequality exists, health systems inevitably reproduce those inequalities.

Gender as a Determinant of Health

Gender is not merely a demographic variable, but a structural determinant of health. It influences exposure to risk factors, access to health services, and overall health outcomes. Across the world, women and girls often face barriers such as limited control over financial resources needed to seek care, restrictions on mobility and decision-making, cultural norms that prioritize male health needs, gender-based violence, and underrepresentation in leadership and policy spaces.

These realities create disparities that extend across the life course, from adolescence to old age. For example, adolescent girls in many low- and middle-income countries face higher risks of early pregnancy, interrupted education, and limited reproductive health services. Pregnant women may lack access to skilled birth attendants. Older women frequently encounter poverty and limited healthcare access due to lifelong economic exclusion. Without addressing the root causes of these inequalities, health interventions remain incomplete.

Ironically, women are both the most affected by health inequities and the most essential to solving them. Globally, women constitute a large majority of the health and social care workforce. They serve as nurses, midwives, community health workers, caregivers, and informal health providers. Yet despite their numerical dominance in the workforce, they remain underrepresented in leadership roles and decision-making positions within health institutions. Honestly, this imbalance has consequences.

When women’s perspectives are absent from leadership, policies may fail to address critical issues such as maternal health, reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and equitable workplace conditions for frontline health workers. Health systems then risk overlooking the needs of the very populations they aim to serve. Gender equity in leadership therefore becomes not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity for effective health governance.

The Intersections of Gender and Social Inequality

Gender inequality rarely exists in isolation. It intersects with other social determinants such as poverty, geography, education, disability, and ethnicity.

A rural woman living in poverty may face compounded barriers, such as distance from health facilities, lack of transportation, cultural restrictions, and limited health literacy. A woman with a disability may encounter inaccessible facilities and discriminatory attitudes. These overlapping disadvantages deepen health inequities. Addressing gender equity thus requires intersectional approaches that recognize how multiple forms of marginalization interact to shape health outcomes.

Why Gender Equity Is Essential for Achieving Health Equity

Achieving health equity requires structural change across several domains:

• Equal Access to Health Services: Women must have equal access to quality healthcare, including reproductive, maternal, and sexual health services. Removing financial, social, and geographic barriers is critical.
• Economic Empowerment: Economic independence increases women’s ability to seek healthcare, make informed decisions, and support family health outcomes.
• Representation in Leadership: Women’s participation in leadership within health ministries, research institutions, and global health organizations ensures that policies reflect diverse realities and priorities.
• Protection from Gender-Based Violence: Violence against women is both a human rights violation and a public health crisis. Addressing it is essential for improving mental, physical, and reproductive health outcomes.
• Education and Health Literacy: Educated girls become empowered women who make informed health decisions, support healthier families, and contribute to stronger health systems.

Lessons from the Women Who Shape Global Health

Looking back at my own journey, the women who have influenced my path embody many of these principles. They demonstrate that effective global health work requires empathy, collaboration, and resilience.

I have learned from women who navigate complex community realities with patience and wisdom, who advocate for vulnerable populations despite limited resources, and who continuously push systems toward fairness. Their work reminds me that the pursuit of health equity is ultimately a pursuit of dignity.

They have shown me that global health is not simply about reducing disease, but ensuring that every person, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to live a healthy life.

Gilson’s Take Home

Moving forward, the celebration of International Women’s Day serves as a reminder that progress toward health equity will remain incomplete until gender equity is fully realized. For policymakers, this means designing gender-responsive health policies. For institutions, it means investing in women’s leadership and equitable workplaces. For global health professionals like myself, it means continuously asking whose voices are missing and whose needs remain unmet.

Health systems cannot achieve fairness while half of the world’s population continues to face structural disadvantage. The path toward health equity therefore runs directly through gender equity. And if the women who have shaped my journey are any indication, advancing that vision is not only possible, it is already underway.