Do we need a feminist global health policy to spur women’s health innovation? Part 1: Gender biases in Research & Development

In the realm of global health policy and research, persistent and historical gender biases continue to permeate a largely patriarchal ecosystem. These biases result in the oversight of crucial gender dimensions and disadvantage women’s health, hindering adequate investment and innovation tailored to address women’s unique and diverse health needs.

Despite growing awareness of these biases and increased efforts by civil society, academia, and the philanthropic sector (such as the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, and the Women’s Health Innovation Opportunity Map by NIH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) to spur gender responsive and inclusive research and innovation to advance women’s health, progress remains slow and fragmented.

In two sessions, we will delve into the landscape of women’s health research and development (R&D), examining the existing barriers and disparities through a gender lens. Our conversation aims to connect the dots between persistent gender biases in research and the transformative potential of a feminist global health policy (FGHP). By shining a spotlight on the barriers and obstacles in advancing women’s health R&D, we seek to explore whether a FGHP holds the potential to accelerate the discovery and enhance the accessibility of new innovations, crucial to interrupting the prevailing health inequities, particularly those that disproportionately affect women.

Part 1 ‘Gender biases in Research & Development’ aims to explore whether a feminist global health policy (FGHP) is the transformative force needed to disrupt and reconstruct a new global health ecosystem to propel gender equality, address health inequities, and accelerate efforts towards social justice.

Our distinguished panel will shed light on lessons learned from the application of feminist foreign policies, exploring promises and pitfalls of these efforts. The discussion will also include valuable recommendations to spur innovation and advance women’s health in all its diversities.

The objectives of this session :

• Examine gender-related barriers and gender disparities in women’s health research and development, identifying challenges hindering innovation.
• Explore the potential impact of a Feminist Global Health Policy in accelerating the discovery and accessibility of innovative solutions to address health inequities for women.