Conference Read-out
WomenLift Health 2024

In April, we had the opportunity to attend the WomenLift Health Global Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. WomenLift Health (WLH) is an organization that seeks to expand the power and influence of talented women leaders in global health. The conference brought together over 800 women leaders from more than 40 countries spanning several generations, career stages, and health sub-sectors, including male allies and decision-makers from the global health sector. Participants engaged in targeted conversations around catalyzing global action to close the gender gap in health leadership. The conference aligned the focus on health leadership with other interrelated sectors, drawing participants from economic, political, media, technology, and adjacent fields as well.

The central theme of the conference, “Reimagining Leadership,” encouraged the collective interrogation of traditional, male-dominated models of leadership and the exploration of new approaches to better address persistent gender and health inequities. The topline focus areas that informed the conference plenaries and parallel sessions included (1) re-imagining leadership and exploring innovative leadership models that challenge existing social and gender norms, and (2) highlighting the power of collective action as a vehicle to elevate women leaders and foster accountability and implementation of policies to promote inclusive environments.

Thematic plenary and parallel sessions offered updates on the latest data and insights as well as opportunities for group discussion. Here are summaries of two sessions that we found particularly compelling:

• Elevating Women’s Leadership in Health Media Coverage
  ‍It is clear that structural changes at institutional and societal levels are crucial for advancing women’s leadership. However, to promote meaningful and sustained progress toward gender equity in leadership, it is essential to address the deeply ingrained social and cultural norms shaping beliefs about women leaders and their abilities. Tackling persistent patriarchal values that uphold regressive views of women requires diligent and strategic interventions. This session’s panel provided experiential evidence and insights that support the need for gender-equal media coverage to raise the visibility of women leaders and their accomplishments. For example, this increased coverage positively impacted women’s political participation and successes in the 2022 Kenya elections. Regressive views about women leaders are on the rise globally as well as backlash from opposition movements. In an important year for national elections, elevating women leaders and their voices across existing platforms and channels will elevate women leaders, ultimately protecting women’s rights to equal representation in both public and private leadership
  

• Panel on Male Allyship: What do men have to do with it?
  ‍This panel focused on the ways in which people of all genders must play a role in reimagining leadership in global health, where women hold only 25% of leadership positions despite comprising 70% of the workforce. Male panelists shared personal experiences and spoke of the need to use their privilege and voice to create space and advocate for more women in positions of leadership.
  Engaging men as allies in gender equality challenges traditional gender roles and fosters collaboration, creating a more just society for all. Learning how to foster allyship at both the individual and institutional levels is a crucial step in diversifying leadership. Audience members left with new or enhanced approaches to champion-building for gender equality.
  

Additionally cross-cutting themes surfaced including inclusive engagement and effective participation of women in policy and decision-making processes; the growing global backlash against the rights of women and girls and broader gender equality issues; the connection between climate, health, and gender; the integration of women's perspectives into digital innovations and AI; and the importance of youth engagement and intergenerational partnerships to drive leadership outcomes for women.

Overall, the conference provided space and fostered honest, meaningful intergenerational and intersectional connections and dialogues among women and allies to further strengthen the collective power needed to bring more women into leadership.

‍

Savannah Russo supports the Gender Equality Policy, Advocacy, and Communications team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Lakshmi Prasad supports the Women in Leadership team in the Gender Equality Division at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

‍