A recent publication released by the World Health Organization (WHO) titled “Fair Share for Health and Care: Gender and the Undervaluation of Health and Care Work” elucidates the detrimental effects of gender disparities within health and care sectors on women, health systems, and health outcomes.
The report delineates how inadequate investment in health systems perpetuates a cycle of unpaid health and care labor, diminishing women’s engagement in paid employment, undermining their economic agency, and impeding gender parity.
Approximately 67% of the global health and care workforce comprises women, with an additional estimated 76% engaging in unpaid caregiving responsibilities. Notably, roles predominantly occupied by women tend to be undervalued, resulting in lower remuneration and substandard working conditions.
The report underscores the prevalence of low wages and demanding work environments in the health and care sectors, attributing these conditions to the undervaluation of caregiving—primarily undertaken by women—leading to adverse effects on wages, work conditions, productivity, and the economic viability of the sector.
Decades of chronic underinvestment in health and care labor are identified as contributing factors to a burgeoning global care crisis, exacerbated by stalled progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), leaving approximately 4.5 billion individuals without comprehensive access to essential health services. Consequently, women are increasingly burdened with unpaid care responsibilities, further jeopardizing caregivers’ well-being and service quality.
Jim Campbell, WHO’s Director for Health Workforce, asserts that gender-equitable investments in health and care labor would recalibrate the value of these sectors, fostering fairer and more inclusive economies. He calls upon leaders, policymakers, and employers to prioritize investment, advocating for equitable treatment and compensation in health and care occupations.
The report advocates for several policy interventions to rectify the undervaluation of health and care labor:
- Enhance working conditions across all health and care professions, with particular attention to those predominantly occupied by women.
- Promote gender balance in the workforce by fostering greater inclusion of women in paid labor.
- Improve working conditions and wages in the health and care sectors, ensuring parity in compensation for comparable work.
- Address the gender gap in caregiving, promote quality care labor, and safeguard the rights and well-being of caregivers.
- Ensure that national data accurately capture, quantify, and value all forms of health and care labor.
- Invest in robust public health systems to alleviate the burden of unpaid care labor and enhance healthcare service quality.
Investments in health and care systems not only advance progress toward UHC but also alleviate the burden of unpaid care labor. Economic empowerment of women through participation in paid health and care roles correlates with improved health outcomes. Consequently, health systems must acknowledge, valorize, and invest in all facets of health and care labor.
