Women power 70% of health care workforce, but face a pay and leadership gap

Women account for nearly 70% of the global health workforce, which tripled between 1990 and 2023, but remain concentrated in lower-paying roles and have fewer leadership opportunities. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent agency at the University of Washington, says an additional 34.4 million doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists are needed across the globe to achieve “moderate levels of universal health coverage.” “Building stronger health systems will require not only expanding the workforce,” says Megan Knight, lead author of the study and a researcher at IHME, “but also creating equitable opportunities for career advancement, leadership and safe, supportive working environments.”