1: Introduction and Key Highlights of the WHO Report

  • The World Health Organization recently released a report titled 'Fair Share for Health and Care', examining the gender gap in global healthcare.
  • According to the report, 67% of the global health and care workforce are women, but they also bear the brunt of 76% of unpaid care work.
  • These disparities significantly limit women's economic empowerment and maintain gender inequality in health systems.
  • Women are grossly underrepresented in leadership roles in healthcare, mostly occupying lower-status positions.

2: Implications of Gender Disparities and Recommendations

  • The gender pay gap limits women's contribution to their family and community welfare. On average, 90% of women's earnings go towards their families’ well-being, compared to 30-40% of men's.
  • Violence against women in healthcare is alarmingly high, with half of all employees in the sector reporting experiencing violence at work.
  • The report urges nations to invest in public health systems, improve working conditions and wages, and address the gender gap in care.

3: The Scenario in India

  • Indian women spend approximately 73% of their total daily work time on unpaid work compared to men's 11%.
  • The situation worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 59% of the 4.5 million people who took on unpaid work being women.

4: Tackling Gender Disparity – Government Initiatives

  • Several initiatives like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mahila Shakti Kendra, and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh have been launched in India to address gender disparity.
  • Government schemes like Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna bank account opening for girls, Programmes like Stand-Up India and Mahila e-Haat for promoting female entrepreneurship have been initiated.
  • In an effort to increase the participation of women in decision-making and governance, 33% of the seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions have been reserved for women.

5: Concluding Remarks

While these measures constitute steps towards gender parity, the existence of such significant disparities as reported by WHO indicates the need for further concerted efforts. Ensuring equal pay, mitigating violence and discrimination, enhancing women's representation in leadership and decision-making roles, and valuing caregiving duties are essential for a just (fair) and inclusive health and care system. Continual monitoring, more robust policies, and a commitment to actionable strategies are required to close the gender gap in healthcare.